Saurabh Mukherjee
The Winter Session of Parliament opened on Monday (December 1) on a combative note, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi using his inaugural address to accuse the Opposition of reducing Parliament to a “warm-up ground” for upcoming elections and a space to vent “frustrations” after electoral losses.
Referring to the National Democratic Alliance’s recent victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Modi said the Opposition was in a “despair of defeat” and must focus on constructive engagement.
“This session should focus on what Parliament is thinking for the country, what Parliament wants to do for the country, what Parliament is going to do for the country. The opposition should also fulfill its responsibility, raise strong issues for discussion, and come out of the despair of defeat,” Modi said.
He continued his criticism, claiming that “one or two parties” were still unable to accept the Bihar results.
“The misfortune is that there are one or two parties that can’t even digest defeat. I was thinking that so much time has passed since the results in Bihar, they must have calmed down a bit by now. But, from what I heard of their rhetoric yesterday, it seems that defeat has kept them troubled. I urge all political parties that in the winter session, the despair of defeat must not become a battleground and neither should it become a show of arrogance of victory. We have to fulfil our responsibilities given by the people,” he added.
Modi also took aim at the Opposition for allegedly preventing first-time MPs and members from smaller parties from participating meaningfully.
“We must give opportunities to the new generation of young Members of Parliament or those who come from smaller parties. They are very troubled because they are not getting opportunities to raise issues from their constituencies. But they are being stopped from doing so. Be it any party, we must encourage young members and first time MPs. The House should benefit from their experiences, and through this House, the nation should also gain from their fresh perspective,” he said.
Reiterating that the House must prioritise governance over theatrics, he added: “I urge that we take these issues seriously. There are many places to do drama. Those who have to do drama, they can continue to do so. But here there should not be drama but delivery. How many slogans have to be raised, there are many such areas in the country where they can be raised. Where you have lost there also slogans were raised. Here the focus should not be on slogans but policies.”
“For some time now, our Parliament is being used either as a warm-up arena for elections or to vent frustration after defeat,” he said.
The Opposition reacted sharply. Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the government itself had consistently “trampled parliamentary decorum” over the past 11 years, adding that the session had begun with Modi’s “dramabazi delivery.”
The demand for a discussion on SIR dominated the day’s proceedings in the Lok Sabha, leading to repeated disruptions. The House was adjourned twice during the Question Hour and again later in the afternoon before being finally adjourned for the day at around 2:20 p.m. Amid the uproar, the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed after a short discussion to replace an existing ordinance.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also introduced the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav questioned Modi’s remarks, pointing to the deaths of booth-level officers involved in the SIR process.
“Everyone knows who does drama. To only use the word drama because D also stands for democracy. We want SIR to be conducted sincerely and no voter is left out. Those BLOs are losing their lives, is this drama? Don’t play on words. It is the EC’s duty to ensure everyone’s vote is secure,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha too witnessed repeated calls from the Opposition for an immediate discussion on SIR. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju maintained that the government was open to such a discussion but urged the Opposition not to demand a fixed timeline. Dissatisfied, several Opposition members staged a walkout.
This Winter Session is the first to be chaired by C.P. Radhakrishnan as the presiding officer of the Upper House.
Referring to the National Democratic Alliance’s recent victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, Modi said the Opposition was in a “despair of defeat” and must focus on constructive engagement.
“This session should focus on what Parliament is thinking for the country, what Parliament wants to do for the country, what Parliament is going to do for the country. The opposition should also fulfill its responsibility, raise strong issues for discussion, and come out of the despair of defeat,” Modi said.
He continued his criticism, claiming that “one or two parties” were still unable to accept the Bihar results.
“The misfortune is that there are one or two parties that can’t even digest defeat. I was thinking that so much time has passed since the results in Bihar, they must have calmed down a bit by now. But, from what I heard of their rhetoric yesterday, it seems that defeat has kept them troubled. I urge all political parties that in the winter session, the despair of defeat must not become a battleground and neither should it become a show of arrogance of victory. We have to fulfil our responsibilities given by the people,” he added.
Modi also took aim at the Opposition for allegedly preventing first-time MPs and members from smaller parties from participating meaningfully.
“We must give opportunities to the new generation of young Members of Parliament or those who come from smaller parties. They are very troubled because they are not getting opportunities to raise issues from their constituencies. But they are being stopped from doing so. Be it any party, we must encourage young members and first time MPs. The House should benefit from their experiences, and through this House, the nation should also gain from their fresh perspective,” he said.
Reiterating that the House must prioritise governance over theatrics, he added: “I urge that we take these issues seriously. There are many places to do drama. Those who have to do drama, they can continue to do so. But here there should not be drama but delivery. How many slogans have to be raised, there are many such areas in the country where they can be raised. Where you have lost there also slogans were raised. Here the focus should not be on slogans but policies.”
“For some time now, our Parliament is being used either as a warm-up arena for elections or to vent frustration after defeat,” he said.
The Opposition reacted sharply. Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the government itself had consistently “trampled parliamentary decorum” over the past 11 years, adding that the session had begun with Modi’s “dramabazi delivery.”
The demand for a discussion on SIR dominated the day’s proceedings in the Lok Sabha, leading to repeated disruptions. The House was adjourned twice during the Question Hour and again later in the afternoon before being finally adjourned for the day at around 2:20 p.m. Amid the uproar, the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed after a short discussion to replace an existing ordinance.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also introduced the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav questioned Modi’s remarks, pointing to the deaths of booth-level officers involved in the SIR process.
“Everyone knows who does drama. To only use the word drama because D also stands for democracy. We want SIR to be conducted sincerely and no voter is left out. Those BLOs are losing their lives, is this drama? Don’t play on words. It is the EC’s duty to ensure everyone’s vote is secure,” he said.
The Rajya Sabha too witnessed repeated calls from the Opposition for an immediate discussion on SIR. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju maintained that the government was open to such a discussion but urged the Opposition not to demand a fixed timeline. Dissatisfied, several Opposition members staged a walkout.
This Winter Session is the first to be chaired by C.P. Radhakrishnan as the presiding officer of the Upper House.
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