2 weeks ago
Parliament's Monsoon Session Ends With Low Productivity, 12 Bills Passed
India's parliament, the group of people who make the country's laws, just finished its Monsoon Session, a period of work during the rainy season.
The two parts of parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, stopped meeting on August 13.
The session began on July 21.
This time, politicians did not get very much work done because many of them were arguing.
Some lawmakers, called the Opposition, were upset about how the police treated students who were protesting about an exam problem called the NEET paper leak.
The government said the Opposition stopped proper discussions from happening.
Because of this, the Lok Sabha only worked for about 19% of its scheduled time.
Still, the government managed to pass 12 new laws, though 11 were passed without much discussion.
This was not the worst session ever — in the winter of 2010, parliament worked for only 5% of its time, which was even less.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on August 13, ending a stormy Monsoon Session repeatedly disrupted by Opposition protests over police action on students protesting the NEET paper leak.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Lok Sabha productivity was 19% and Rajya Sabha 39%, while PRS Legislative Research estimated 15% and 33% respectively.
Parliament passed 12 bills in the session; 11 were passed in the Lok Sabha without discussion, and Rijiju blamed the Opposition, especially the Congress, for preventing proper debate.
Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition wanted answers on police action against protesting students and rejected a government offer of a debate followed by Home Minister Amit Shah's reply.
The 2026 session was not the worst since 2009: the Winter Session 2010 recorded 5% (Lok Sabha) and 2% (Rajya Sabha) productivity amid the 2G spectrum row, with other low-productivity sessions in Winter 2013, Winter 2016, and Monsoon 2021.
- Who
- Members of India's Parliament, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were also drawn into the disputes.
- What
- The Monsoon Session ended with low productivity, with a total of 12 bills passed despite repeated Opposition protests and disruptions.
- Where
- The Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
- When
- The Monsoon Session ran from July 21 to August 13 (2026).
- Why
- Repeated Opposition protests over police action on students protesting the NEET paper leak, along with earlier disputes over the NEET leak and alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, disrupted proceedings.
Opposition's position
Government's position
Blame for low productivity
Opposition's position
Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition wanted answers on police action against protesting students and was not interested in listening to Shah's 'imagination and lecture'; the Congress rejected the government's debate offer.
Government's position
Rijiju blamed the Congress for disrupting proceedings and said the Opposition did not allow proper debate, forcing 11 of the 12 bills to pass in the Lok Sabha without discussion.
Success of the session
Opposition's position
The Opposition insisted the government must provide answers on the police action against NEET student protesters before normal business could resume.
Government's position
Rijiju called the session very successful in terms of business with 12 bills passed, while acknowledging the quality of debate was not satisfactory.
Value of parliamentary obstruction
Opposition's position
Some leaders, including BJP figures Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj when in opposition, have defended obstruction, saying 'parliamentary obstruction is not undemocratic' and 'not allowing Parliament to function is also a form of democracy.'
Government's position
The government says such disruption prevents meaningful debate, producing low productivity and bills passed without discussion.
Key facts
- Lok Sabha productivity (government figure)
- 19%
- Rajya Sabha productivity (government figure)
- 39%
- Lok Sabha productivity (PRS estimate)
- 15%
- Rajya Sabha productivity (PRS estimate)
- 33%
- Bills passed
- 12
- Bills passed without discussion in Lok Sabha
- 11
- Session dates
- July 21 - August 13, 2026
- Most washed-out session since 2009
- Winter Session 2010 (Lok Sabha 5%, Rajya Sabha 2%)
Quotes
Kiren Rijiju
Parliamentary Affairs Minister
“The Monsoon Session concluded today. We view it from two perspectives. In terms of business, it was a very successful session; we passed a total of 12 bills. However, from the perspective of debate and discussion, it was not as successful. In the Lok Sabha, we achieved only 19% productivity relative to the total time allotted.”
freepressjournal.in
“"A total of 12 bills were passed, but we are not satisfied with the quality of discussion because the opposition did not allow proper debate to take place, especially in the Lok Sabha."”
livemint.com
Sources
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