Lok Sabha witnessed heavy sloganeering from Opposition MPs, who demanded that Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor be discussed in the house. They also urged PM Modi to address the issue in the House.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday, July 21, on a rocky note. Ruckus was seen in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Congress whip Manickam Tagore on Monday gave an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, while Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala gave a suspension of business notice under rule 267 to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefed media persons on Monday, just before the commencement of the first day of the Monsoon Parliament session.
The Centre on Sunday signalled its willingness to discuss Operation Sindoor in Parliament and indicated that it might also respond to US President Donald Trump’s claim of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan as the Opposition sharpened its demands during an all-party meeting ahead of the monsoon session.
The Congress demanded a reply from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Operation Sindoor and Trump’s claims. Congress’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said that there were important issues like the Pahalgam attack and the security lapse [which led to it. He also alleged that the statements coming from the US President in some way raise questions on the dignity of India and the bravery of the Indian Army. The Opposition will also seek answers from the government on the ongoing voter roll drive in Bihar.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday informed the House that he has accepted the resignation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjeev Arora as a member of the Upper House with effect from July 1.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said that the Secretary General will take necessary steps on the motion for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma. Congress MP Rajeev Shukla told news agency ANI, We want to run the House…Regarding the process being conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar, we demand a discussion on it…This kind of process is wrong, it is against democracy, and people are being deprived of their right to vote.”
JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, in a sharp jibe at the Opposition, said that they carry the Constitution around; they should read it a bit to know that the Election Commission’s job is to conduct elections and revise the voter list.
“Work is ongoing in Bihar. We have taken feedback from our party members, everything is going well… What is the problem here? The reason is that they already know what the result of the Bihar Election will be, so they are preparing the background in advance,” he told ANI.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha said that he raised an important issue in the Parliament regarding the nation’s aviation sector.
“It is connected to aircraft safety and passenger safety. Our civil aviation sector is rapidly progressing, but the backbone of this sector, the DGCA, appears to be in a state of disrepair in some respects. There is a 55% vacancy in technical positions within it,” he told reporters.
“This means there is a 55% shortage of officers responsible for passenger and airline safety, pilot licensing and aircraft maintenance. This is a critical issue. We emphasised that there is a need to empower the DGCA,” he added.
PM Modi held a high-level meeting at the Parliament House earlier in the day, news agency ANI reported.
Present at the meeting were senior ministers, including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, and Arjun Meghwal.
The leaders are likely to have discussed and made decisions regarding the Parliament session.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut told reporters that the decorum of the House is being violated. “Every session is disrupted…Today too, time has been allocated for each issue, but they (the opposition) do not want the proceedings to take place.”
‘The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025’ has been passed in the Rajya Sabha.
Murlidhar Mohol, MoS Civil Aviation in Rajya Sabha, said in Rajya Sabha that during the last six months, a total of nine show cause notices have been issued to Air India in connection with the identified safety violations. Enforcement action has been completed in respect of one violation,” he added.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav told reporters outside the Parliament that the Pahalgam terror attack issue is very important.
“All Opposition parties want there to be a discussion on it. The government should disclose what had happened and if it was an intelligence failure. The PM and the govt should hear the opposition and we will hear that the govt will have to say,” he added.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said in relation to the removal notice against Justice Yashwant Varma in the cash discovery row that “this is a constitutional process”.
“The conduct of an individual judge in terms of propriety is equally important for independence of the judiciary. We have filed our notice in this regard,” he added.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan blasted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his claims of not being allowed to speak in the House.
Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “We want to run the House… This is not the personal drawing room of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Everyone will have to stay within the rules. They are themselves running away from the discussion, because they are more interested in supporting Pakistan.”
“They are more interested in helping the opposition forces of India. That is why they do not want to speak in the Parliament responsibly. They can hold discussions on any topic; it will be answered,” he added. Replying to a question put by MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, union minister K Rammohan Naidu revealed why AAIB report on Air India crash was released after midnight.
“It was entirely up to the AAIB… I don’t think there was any specific reason why it has been released at night or in the morning. It was the report which was supposed to be released, and it was released at the time,” he said.
House Business Committee will meet again at 4:30 PM to finalise date of Operation Sindoor debate.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale told news agency ANI, “The accusations Rahul Gandhi is making are not correct. The government is ready to discuss the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor…. When it is discussed, he will be given the right to speak.”
Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) asked, citing reports, that “pilots have raised their concern that there is no aviation expert sitting on that AAIB panel,” and demanded Union Minister Naidu’s response.
“It is not true. There are two subject matter experts… who have been engaged with the investigation team. And likewise, other engineers from the industry also have been engaged. And an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) observer also, from the U.N… Baseless articles have come up but everyone who are supposed to be in the investigation team, they have all been there. In fact, pilots have also been there. So that addresses the second part,” union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu replied
Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha amid their demand for a discussion on the April 22 Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari told news agency ANI, “At 2 pm, when the House re-assembled, we raised the issue that Bihar SIR should be discussed. But when the Chair did not allow it, the Opposition MPs walked out of the House…We are urging that the PM must take part in the discussion (On Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor) because Donald Trump has said 24 times he brokered peace.”
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat dismissed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s claim that he was not allowed to speak in the House.
“Rahul Gandhi is troubled because he is not getting the privilege he is used to being a part of a particular family,” he told news agency ANI. As many as 63 opposition MPs have submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma in connection with the cash discovery row.