First Budget Session of the 18th Lok Sabha concludes with record productivity

The two Houses recorded high productivity sitting till wee hours to pass the Waqf (Amendment) Bill without any disruptions

The first Budget Session of the 18th Lok Sabha concluded on Friday, with both Houses of Parliament sitting till wee hours to pass the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The session that was marked with high productivity saw disruptions on the last day, with adjournments in both Houses.

In Lok Sabha, Opposition raised slogans demanding answers from the government over U.S. tariff imposition, while the treasury benches protested against Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s remarks that “Waqf (Amendment) Bill was bulldozed through” forcing an adjournment.

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In Rajya Sabha, the treasury benches began the protests, flagging the Supreme Court judgment upholding Calcutta High Court decision cancelling en bloc a “tainted” selection process which saw the appointments of nearly 24,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in government and aided schools across the State. Speaking amid the din, Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said, “People of India are seeing that BJP MPs in the treasury benches are disrupting Parliament… we are not allowed to raise a single issue in Parliament.” This led to two adjournments, one at 11.30 a.m. and another at 12 noon, before the house met at 1 p.m. for the valedictory address of Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Trinamool’s demand to hold a debate on duplication of Electoral Photo Identity Cards was not heeded to. They met the Election Commission in the morning and held a protest in Parliament before the sitting of the two Houses.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, said the session was a success. At the customary press conference held on conclusion of the session, he told reporters that the productivity of Lok Sabha during the session, which began with an address by President Droupadi Murmu on January 31 and ended on Friday with a recess from February 14 to March 9, was 118% and that of the Upper House 119%.

He said history was created and old records were broken in Rajya Sabha when it sat without a break for 17.02 hours from 11 a.m. on Thursday till 4.02 a.m. on Friday to clear the Waqf Bill, besides endorsing the President’s rule in Manipur. While thanking all members, he noted that without their cooperation it would not have been possible. He also underlined that the two Houses functioned without disruption barring convivial exchange of views often marked with “sarcasm” and “criticism”.

The session was marked by interminable sittings. The Motion of Thanks on the President’s address was debated for 17 hours 23 minutes in Lok Sabha exceeding the allotted time of 12 hours. In Rajya Sabha, this debate went on for 21 hours 46 minutes. The Union Budget was discussed in Lok Sabha for 16 hours and 13 minutes and in Rajya Sabha for 17 hours and 56 minutes. A total of 16 Bills were passed by both Houses of Parliament.

Mr. Dhankhar also lauded the high productivity in Rajya Sabha. In his concluding remarks, he said, “After a long gap, the House witnessed welcome wit, humour, sarcasm and repartee, apart from intellectual fusion while ensuring parliamentary decorum, cross-party collaboration, and legislative rigour.” This session, he said, will be remembered for its historic legislative accomplishments and the spirit of unity that prevailed.

Published - April 04, 2025 12:32 pm IST