Winter Session: Lok Sabha Adjourned Amid Chaos; Manipur GST Bill Passed in Uproar
Winter Session derailed as MPs scream “Stop voter theft!”.
The opening day of the crucial Winter Session turned into a battlefield on Monday as opposition MPs from Congress, TMC, DMK and Left parties stormed the Well of the Lok Sabha within minutes of commencement, raising thunderous slogans and forcing the House to be adjourned thrice before Speaker Om Birla finally called it a day at 2:20 PM.
Amid the deafening uproar and waving of placards demanding an immediate debate on the Election Commission’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in twelve states and Union territories, the Treasury benches seized the chaos to swiftly introduce and pass the Manipur GST (Amendment) Bill 2025, pushed through by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in under ten minutes to replace an ordinance while the state remains under President’s Rule.
Opposition leaders accused the government of deliberately orchestrating the SIR drive only in states ruled or soon to be contested by the opposition, especially Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam where Assembly elections are due in 2026, alleging it is a calculated BJP move to delete crores of Dalit, minority and poor voters from the rolls under the pretext of “cleaning” the list.
Also Read: Sitharaman Introduces Bills to Replace GST Compensation Cess With Higher Tobacco, Pan Masala Taxes
Even during the fleeting 12-minute Zero Hour when the House briefly functioned, Nirmala Sitharaman managed to table supplementary demands for grants for 2025-26 and introduce two harsh taxation measures, the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 that steeply raises duties on tobacco products and the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025 that slaps a new cess on pan masala manufacturers, while opposition members remained standing in the Well, drowning every word in slogans.
With the 15-sitting session now effectively crippled on its very first day and the opposition vowing to intensify protests until a full discussion on the alleged electoral roll manipulation is allowed, the government faces the grim prospect of a completely washed-out Winter Session unless it had hoped would showcase legislative productivity.
Also Read: Displaced Families Clash With Security Forces in Manipur While Attempting to Return Home
