Protest vs protest on last day as House session ends

A bitter winter session of Parliament, marked by acrimony between the government and Opposition, protests and counter protests over Union home minister Amit Shah's comment on BR Ambedkar, the first attempt in Independent India to remove the vice-president, a landmark debate on 75 years of the Constitution, and ugly scenes that led to a flurry of police complaints and privilege notices, closed on Friday.

- Saubhadra Chatterji and Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The session also recorded the introduction of two landmark bills on simultaneous polls, which were referred to a 39-member Joint Parliament Committee (JPC). The JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) bill, set up in August, was also given an extension.

The final day of the winter session saw protests by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at Parliament complex against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and a counter protest march by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) from Vijay Chowk to Parliament over Shah's remarks on Ambedkar earlier this week.

This came a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress accused each other of assault and shoving, and filed contrasting police complaints in what marked an unparalleled deterioration of decorum in Parliament.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Opposition for disrupting the proceedings, which he said resulted in a decline in Parliament's productivity. "The productivity of Parliament went down due to disturbances created by the Opposition. We tried a lot to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament. I expect and request the Opposition not to create similar disruptions in the Budget session," he said.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die minutes after the House adopted the resolution to set up a JPC to scrutinise two bills that aim to usher in simultaneous state and national elections. Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House and shouted Jai Bhim slogans.

"It is a collective responsibility of all Members to maintain the dignity and decorum of Parliament. It is not appropriate to stage dharnas or demonstrations at any of the gates of Parliament." LS Speaker Om Birla said in his valedictory address.