Farm Bills, Oppn Boycott: How a Stormy Monsoon Session Unfolded

Here’s a lowdown of all important bills that were passed, & the controversies that were courted during the session.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament ended more than a week ahead of schedule on Wednesday, 23 September, capping days of stormy proceedings – with the passage of three contentious farm bills, the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha MPs and the Opposition's boycott becoming the centre of attention.

During the session, a key minister also resigned from the Modi government’s Cabinet over the issue of farm bills.

Here’s a lowdown of all the important bills that were discussed and passed, and the controversies that were courted during the session – one of the shortest in terms of total sittings.

WHAT BILLS WERE PASSED?

The 10-day session saw as many as 25 bills passed, and the introduction of six new bills. Some of the major bills passed in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were as noted below.

CONTROVERSIAL PASSAGE OF FARM BILLS; 8 MPs SUSPENDED

The passage of three contentious farm bills were at the centre of attention this Monsoon Session. The controversy first erupted on 17 September, when two of these bills were passed in the Lok Sabha, even as Harsimrat Kaur Badal – a member of BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and a minister in the Modi cabinet – resigned from the government.

Then, on 20 September, the Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, were passed in the Rajya Sabha by voice vote, even as the Opposition claimed to have demanded a division of votes.

This resulted in a ruckus, with several members reportedly marching into the well of the House and raising slogans.

Mics were broken, attempts were made to tear the rule book and some even climbed on to the table in front of the secretary general, as Upper House Deputy Chairman Harivansh continued with the proceedings amid the fracas.

The next day, eight MPs, including TMC’s Derek O’Brien and AAP’s Sanjay Singh, were suspended for the remainder of the session.

The suspended MPs then went on to stage an overnight sit-in inside the Parliament premises, ending their protest only when the call for a boycott was given by Opposition parties.

OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS SESSION

On 22 September, the Opposition parties decided to boycott the rest of the session in both Houses of Parliament, calling for the suspension of the MPs to be revoked and the passage farm bills be taken back.

The Centre responded saying that it will “consider revocation” only if the suspended MPs apologise. A number of key Bills were passed in both the Houses even as Opposition continued its boycott.

THREE LABOUR BILLS PASSED

The Parliament also passed three crucial labour law bills in the Monsoon Session as part of the Modi-led government's labour reform initiatives, amid protests.

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; and the Code on Social Security, 2020 were passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 22 and 23 September respectively, while the Opposition went on with its boycott of the session.

Having commenced from 14 September, the Monsoon Session of Parliament was held with unique measures against COVID-19 in place.