On the second day of India's Parliament Winter Session 2025, opposition leaders protested against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to move the Central Excise Amendment Bill for passage amid ongoing demands for debate. The session, the shortest since 1952, has seen disruptions and walkouts over key issues.
The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on December 1, 2025, entered its second day amid heightened tensions between the government and opposition. Opposition parties, united in their demand for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine states and three union territories, staged protests in the Parliament premises. Leaders including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge joined the demonstration, highlighting concerns over the revision's impact on voters.
The first day saw repeated adjournments in the Lok Sabha and an opposition walkout from the Rajya Sabha, as members insisted on debating SIR alongside issues like the recent Delhi blast, air pollution, and foreign policy. The government stated it is not opposed to discussions but refused to commit to a specific timeline. In the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced two bills repurposing levies on sin goods such as tobacco and pan masala. Amid disruptions, the House also passed a bill replacing an ordinance for Goods and Services Tax reforms in Manipur.
December 2 brings further legislative action, with Sitharaman scheduled to move the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha. The session, limited to 15 sittings—the shortest since 1952—has 13 bills listed, prompting criticism from opposition figures. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas noted that sittings have dwindled from over 150 days annually in the 1950s to around 50 now, with 75% of time devoted to government agenda. He called for reinstating opposition space, including short-duration discussions on electoral reforms if SIR is off-limits.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks accusing protests of being drama, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said outside Parliament: “What is Parliament for? It is not drama. Speaking about and raising issues is not drama. Drama is the refusal to allow discussion and the absence of democratic debate on matters of public concern.” This marks the first session under new Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, whom opposition MPs welcomed while urging equal treatment for all sides.
