The Winter Session of Parliament, which commenced on December 1 and will continue till December 19, 2025, began with a clear and pointed message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There should be delivery here, not drama. There should be discussion on policy, not slogans,” he stated, setting both the tone and intent for the session. His remark was not merely rhetorical; it underscored a larger call for substantive deliberation, a shift from confrontation to constructive dialogue, and a reaffirmation of Parliament as the forum for national development and policymaking.
Yet, the proceedings of the very first day highlighted a familiar pattern. The Lok Sabha faced uproar over the SIR issue, leading to an adjournment for the entire day. With similar behaviour witnessed in the previous session, there remains growing apprehension that the Opposition may again persist with disruption rather than deliberation. The recurrence of this trend raises questions not simply about disagreement but of intent — whether the Opposition wishes to debate policy or derail process.
A Legacy of Disruption, Not Debate
Noise and disruption are not unique to India’s legislature; democracies across the world witness heated exchanges. But the institutionalisation of obstruction — repeatedly stalling proceedings, raising issues even after pre-session all-party meetings, and walking into Parliament with a script — has increasingly become characteristic of the Indian Opposition.
The Monsoon Session exemplified this breakdown of deliberative functioning. The Lok Sabha operated for merely 29% of scheduled time and the Rajya Sabha for 34%. The Winter Session of 2024 saw similar decline, with productivity falling to 52% for the Lok Sabha and an alarming 39% for the Rajya Sabha. Out of the 419 questions listed in the 18th Lok Sabha Monsoon Session, only 55 could be answered. The cost of disruption is not only political — it is measurable in legislative paralysis.
The pattern stretches back further. In the 2023 Budget Session, the Opposition sought to corner the government using allegations based on the Hindenburg Report. The session was washed out, leaving constructive work undone. Later that same year, a ruckus over Apple’s security alerts led to chaos, despite Apple itself issuing clarifications that diluted the Opposition’s claims. In 2021, the Pegasus allegations triggered massive outrage in Parliament, only for the narrative to collapse later. Earlier, the Rafale accusations — widely amplified by international reporting — led to repeated adjournments though the allegations ultimately did not hold in Parliament or the Supreme Court.
A Cost Paid by the Nation
Running Parliament is not symbolic — it is expensive. By one estimation, each working minute costs ₹2.5 lakh, including salaries, maintenance, electricity and administrative overheads. Extrapolated to today, the Winter Session represents hundreds of crores of taxpayer money. The question therefore becomes crucial: is Parliament being used to safeguard public interest, or squander public resources?
Delivery Amid Distraction
While confrontation has dominated Opposition strategy, the government has worked toward continuity of legislative output and institutional reform. Over the past 11 years, Parliament has seen transformative changes: merging the Railway Budget with the Union Budget, completion of the new Parliament building, the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, and a decisive shift toward paperless governance.
The statistics reinforce the momentum. A total of 421 Bills have been passed, and 1,576 obsolete and redundant laws have been repealed, marking one of the largest legal clean-up drives in independent India.
During the current Winter Session, 13 legislative bills are slated for consideration, including key proposals such as:
- Nuclear Energy Bill
- Higher Education Commission Bill
- Securities Markets Code Bill
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill
- Arbitration and Conciliation Bill
- Insurance Regulations (Amendment) Bill
- Health Security and National Security Services Bill
- Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill
If disruptions persist, these legislations — many of them critical to economic reform, national security and administrative modernisation — risk being undermined.
The Opposition’s Role: Responsibility, Not Reluctance
In a healthy democracy, the Opposition plays a vital role — not through obstruction but through argument, evidence and constructive critique. Its responsibility is to question the government, not cripple the institution through which accountability itself is exercised. When every issue becomes a protest, every debate a slogan, and every session a circus, the country loses not just time but democratic maturity.
Instead of enabling scrutiny and providing alternatives, the Opposition appears increasingly focused on theatrics. Parliament becomes a stage, and national interest a casualty. Legislators are elected to articulate the concerns of their constituencies, uphold constitutional responsibility and shape policy — not to ensure that no business can be transacted.
A Democratic Imperative
The time has come to examine procedural mechanisms that prevent persistent disruption from sabotaging the functioning of Parliament. A democracy cannot allow its supreme legislative body to be held hostage to political posturing. There must be space for dissent, but not at the expense of delivery. Strengthening parliamentary culture is not just a matter of procedure — it is vital to national progress.
Prime Minister Modi’s opening message — policy over slogans, delivery over drama — should serve as a larger reminder: Parliament exists not to amplify noise, but to advance India.