New Delhi: The proceedings of both houses of Parliament were adjourned indefinitely on Friday at the end of the winter session. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla met with leaders and MPs of political parties in his chamber at Parliament House after the conclusion of the winter session of Parliament 2025. A tea party was also held during this time.
Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders from major parties, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, attended the tea party. Pictures from the tea party show several party leaders, as well as Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Chirag Paswan, and Ram Mohan Naidu. It is reported that discussions regarding Wayanad took place between Priyanka Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi during this time. Meanwhile, after the VBG Ram Ji Bill was passed amidst opposition protests, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha indefinitely after ‘Vande Mataram’ was played in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned from a three-nation tour yesterday, was present in the House.
Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the upper house of Parliament shortly after proceedings resumed at 11 am on Friday. Before the adjournment, statements and reports were laid on the table of the House.
While adjourning the Rajya Sabha indefinitely, Radhakrishnan said, “The conduct of the members during the minister’s reply yesterday, which included protesting and tearing up papers, was unbecoming of the House.”
Furthermore, the opposition continued its vocal protest against the passing of the Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) (VBG Ram Ji) Bill. On Friday, the united opposition held a protest outside Parliament, while Trinamool Congress members continued their demonstration on the steps at the entrance of the House. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, currently in Germany, joined those criticizing the bill, calling it deliberately “anti-state” and “anti-village.” In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Last night, the Modi government ended 20 years of MNREGA in a single day. The VB GRG is not a restructuring. It dismantles the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and transforms it into a rationed scheme controlled from Delhi. It is deliberately anti-state and anti-village.”
He said the previous scheme had empowered village workers and strengthened rural livelihoods.
Rahul added, “MNREGA gave village laborers bargaining power. With a real alternative available, distress migration decreased, wages increased, working conditions improved, and all this while building and rebuilding rural infrastructure.”
He continued, “This government wants to take away precisely this benefit. By restricting work and creating other barriers, the VB GRG is weakening the one lifeline that the rural poor had.”
Highlighting the role of MNREGA during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Congress leader further stated, “We saw what MNREGA meant during Covid. When the economy shut down and jobs disappeared, it saved millions from starvation and debt. And it helped women the most – year after year, women have contributed more than half of the person-days.”
