New Delhi: The opening day of the Winter Session saw an intense political flare-up as Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to “distraction theatrics” rather than addressing urgent national issues. Kharge said the government’s handling of Parliament over the past 11 years had steadily eroded legislative scrutiny and replaced meaningful debate with spectacle.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the session, Kharge charged the Centre with pushing laws through Parliament at breakneck speed. He pointed to the previous Monsoon Session, where a dozen Bills were passed in rapid succession — some in less than 15 minutes — and many without any debate, describing the pattern as a “bulldozer approach” to lawmaking.
He cited earlier examples, including the passage of the controversial farm laws, the rollout of the GST regime, and the approval of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, arguing that each episode reflected the government’s contempt for deliberation.
‘Manipur crisis showed reluctance to face Parliament’
Kharge reiterated that the government had remained largely silent during the months-long turmoil in Manipur, adding that the Prime Minister spoke only when the Opposition compelled a debate through a no-confidence motion. Such reluctance, he said, underscored the larger failure to account for public suffering.
Alarm over electoral processes
Referring to the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, Kharge raised concerns over the workload placed on Booth Level Officers (BLOs). He claimed that the pressure to meet deadlines had become so severe that “lives were being lost,” and said the Opposition wanted the Winter Session to focus on what he called “vote theft” and growing irregularities in the electoral process.
‘Real issues ignored while public struggles’
Kharge accused the BJP-led government of attempting to deflect attention from rising unemployment, persistent inflation and widening economic inequality. He said Parliament must be used to tackle these challenges rather than to generate “performative diversions.”
“The people are grappling with real pain,” he said. “Those in power cannot keep turning away from accountability.”
He added that the Opposition would continue pressing for debates on these concerns throughout the session, insisting that the treasury benches stop relying on rhetoric to drown out substantive discussion.
Jairam Ramesh calls PM’s outreach ‘hypocrisy’
In a separate remark, Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh criticised the Prime Minister for what he described as infrequent participation in parliamentary proceedings. He argued that Modi’s appeals for cooperation before each session were not backed by action inside the House.
Ramesh claimed the Prime Minister consistently avoided engagement with Opposition leaders, stifled debate, and pushed major decisions unilaterally. “The biggest dramabaaz is the one lecturing others on drama,” he said, calling the PM’s pre-session statements “pure hypocrisy.”
As the Winter Session gets underway, both sides appear braced for a confrontational few weeks, with the Opposition preparing to highlight legislative conduct, economic distress and electoral concerns at every opportunity.
