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Centre nears completion of its legislative agenda amid Opposition din

The Union government has almost entirely cleared its legislative agenda, taking advantage of the Opposition-sponsored protests, getting seven bills passed in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha with five more days left in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

Published on: Aug 7, 2026, 09:09:11 IST
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The Union government has almost entirely cleared its legislative agenda, taking advantage of the Opposition-sponsored protests, getting seven bills passed in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha with five more days left in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

New Delhi, Aug 06 (ANI): Presiding officer Ghanshyam Tiwari conducts the proceedings of the House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab) (Sansad TV)
New Delhi, Aug 06 (ANI): Presiding officer Ghanshyam Tiwari conducts the proceedings of the House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Thursday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab) (Sansad TV)

The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 — which was brought in the backdrop of massive protests by students against alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 — was the only legislation to be passed in both houses after a proper debate in this session. According to PRS Legislative Research, the Lok Sabha spent 10.55 hours to discuss the bill while the Rajya Sabha discussed it for 6.39 hours.

“It is indeed an achievement to clear a number of bills with one week left in the session. But we should not be blamed for passing the bills amid din,” a senior government functionary told HT, requesting anonymity.

So far, Parliament has also passed The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026; The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026.

To be sure, the government has delayed two controversial bills—the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 —amid protests by the Opposition parties. Government managers indicated that the ruling dispensation is likely to push the FCRA amendment bill for passage in the last week of the session.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju had reached out to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi twice in two days to restore normalcy in the House. But no solution is visible as Gandhi insisted on a statement by Union home minister Amit Shah on the violence against protestors in Delhi.

Last week, Rijiju said in the Lok Sabha, “You say that the government passes bills by steamrolling them through... You cannot make this allegation, because you have missed your opportunity. ... Mr. Chairman, I only wish to say that regarding any bills we bring forward in the future... ...if you create such a ruckus over them as well, it will not be good at all. ... Therefore, please cooperate and do not create a ruckus.”

“We wanted all Members of Parliament to participate in this. The timing for this was also decided in the Business Advisory Committee. You should not go outside later and ask why the bill was passed without discussion,” Rijiju added.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla too, reminded the lawmakers that Parliament is meant for discussion and dialogue. “I urged all parties to remember that Parliament is the supreme forum of democracy—a place meant for discussion and dialogue, where the expectations, aspirations, and challenges of 1.4 billion people are addressed, and where policies and bills are deliberated upon. Therefore, it is not a platform for slogan-shouting or for bringing placards into the House. As it is the highest forum of democracy, it is the responsibility of us all to engage in discussion and dialogue within the House and to express our points of agreement and disagreement.”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Saubhadra Chatterji

Saubhadra Chatterji is Deputy Political Editor at the Hindustan Times. He writes on both politics and policies.

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