Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Both Houses Adjourned For The Day; Rijiju Says Govt Ready For SIR Debate

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: The Rajya Sabha has been for the day. The House will next meet on Wednesday at 11 am for the third days of the Winter Session.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: The Rajya Sabha has returned the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2025 back to the Lok Sabha.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: The Rajya Sabha passed the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2025. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the bill will improve the economy. 

“Today's amendment will help in establishing the track and trace system. Once such a system is in place, it will become easier to prevent leakages. The rules for creating vouchers at the time of supply will become simpler,” the Finance Minister added.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a reply to the discussion on the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Rajya Sabha, said that the “very important” bill will improve the economy.

She added that the government is bringing peace into Manipur.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government is willing to hold a discussion on SIR in the Rajya Sabha. “From the government side, we propose a discussion on electoral reforms,” Rijiju stated.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chowdhury moved The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Rajya Sabha for consideration and return to Lok Sabha. The Upper House took up the bill for discussion amid protest from Opposition leaders.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: After the adjournment of Lok Sabha, Congress MP Prabha Mallikarjun said the Opposition want a “fair discussion” on the SIR in the Parliament.

She said, “The way SIR is being conducted in the 12 states and Union Territories that have been shortlisted is not as per the Constitution…We are against the way the Election Commission is working... We want a fair discussion in the House. Our main issue is discussion, but the discussion is not happening... Let SIR be conducted in a fair manner in the 12 shortlisted states, based on the Constitution.”

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Amid massive sloganeering and uproar, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 11 AM tomorrow (3rd December).

Parliament Winter Session 2025: With the adjournment of both houses, Priyanka Gandhi said that the government is not ready to speak up on any issue, despite the ongoing irregularities in voter lists and the worsening Delhi pollution.

She said, "We have been demanding a discussion on so many issues, SIR, air pollution and others, since the last session. But they (govt) are not ready to discuss any issue. Is this how the Parliament should run?

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury launched a sharp attack on Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, calling him "nalayak" (useless), after the latter criticised the Opposition for obstructing Parliamentary proceedings over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Chowdhury accused the Central government of failing to run the House effectively.

She said, "Arey tum nalayak ho toh hum kya karein, tumko chalana aata nahi hai to hum kya karein? Hum mudda bhi na uthayein? (You're useless. If they don't know how to run the House, then what can we do?) Do they want us to do yes, sir and no, sir? This will not work. We are MPs, and it is our duty to raise people's voices."

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Mallikarjun Kharge pressed the Central government to allow an urgent discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing concerns over the lives and safety of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the country. Kharge urged an immediate discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the SIR process, claiming that over 28 BLOs have lost their lives due to excessive work pressure.

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi refrained from commenting on the directions to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi App on mobile phones, stating that he would debate the issue in the House. He said, "Will not comment now; will speak in the debate in the House about it."

The DoT has instructed manufacturers and importers to pre-install the app in the mobile handsets and ensure the app is visible and accessible at first use, and cannot be disabled. For devices already on the market, companies have been asked to push the app via software updates.

Parliament Winter Session 2025: BJP MP Dinesh Sharma says, “This isn't a protest against the SIR. They are lamenting over the defeat in Bihar. This is the lamentation of the Congress, RJD and Trinamool because they lost Bihar first. Now it's Bengal's turn.”

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said "if you don't want Sanchar Sathi, you can delete it. It is optional..."

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari says, “PM Modi government has become synonymous with deception and betrayal of parliamentary traditions. The day before yesterday, he said he would announce by 9 am when and where the meeting would be held, and what the outline of this subject would be.”

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi criticised the recent order by the Department of Telecommunications calling the Sanchar Saathi App a snooping App.

"It is a snooping app. It's ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy. Everyone must have the right to privacy to send messages to family, friends, without the government looking at everything... They are turning this country into a dictatorship in every form. The parliament is not functioning because the government is refusing to talk about anything. It's very easy to blame the Opposition.

Parliament Winter Session 2025: After Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury sparked a row by bringing a dog to Parliament yesterday, LoP, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi says, "I guess these are the things that India is discussing these days..."

Parliament Winter Session 2025: After the Lok Sabha was adjourned at 11:15 am on the second day of the Winter Session, Speaker Om Birla summoned opposition floor leaders and ministers for a meeting to resolve the disruptions and restore order in the House.

Parliament Winter Session 2025: "CPI-M MP John Brittas says, “...Sanchar Saathi app is a blatant invasion into the privacy of the people and violation of the 2017 Puttaswamy judgment of Supreme Court. Pre-installed, no removal; that means it's mandatory for 120 crore instruments.”

Parliament Winter Session 2025: Amid uproar, Kiren Rijuju said that they had never stated that they will not discuss discuss a particular topic. He added this is democracy where winning and losing in natural. The minister further said that one cannot take out anger in the Parliament just because they have lost the election.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: As the Parliament's Winter Session entered its second day, Opposition MPs immediately disrupted the Lok Sabha proceedings by raising slogans of ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhor’. The MPs are protesting against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and demanding an immediate discussion on the issue in the House. 

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Amid huge ruckus and opposition sloganeering over SIR, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till noon. 

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Demanding an immediate debate on SIR, the Opposition MPs are holding a protest outside the Parliament as Day 2 proceedings resume.

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: On opposition's protest against SIR at the Parliament premises, Congress President and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We will continue to protest to save democracy and against injustice.”

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: The opposition leaders, including Congress MP Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, held a protest against SIR in Parliament premises, on the second day of the winter session.

Congress MP Sonia Gandhi arrives at the Parliament for the second day of the winter session

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: The Central government is set to move that the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to move the bill to amend the Central Excise Act to raise the excise duties and cess on tobacco products. Following the introduction of GST in 2017, the Centre had decreased central excise duties on tobacco and tobacco products to allow for the levy of compensation cess in GST without large impact on tax incidence. This bill seeks to amend the central excise rates, as the cess will be discontinued once loan liabilities and interests payments taken under the cess are discharged, according to the government.

Earlier on Monday, Finance Minister Sitharaman had tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha amid continued Opposition sloganeering demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by ECI.

The Central Excise Bill will amend the Central Excise Act, 1944, under which compensation cess to states and central excise duties were significantly lowered to not impact tax incidence.

"Compensation cess levied on tobacco and tobacco products, wherever applicable, will be discontinued once interest payment obligations and loan liabilities under the compensation cess account are completely discharged. In order to give the Government, the fiscal space to increase the rate of central excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products so as to protect tax incidence, it is imperative to amend the table in Section IV of the Fourth Schedule to the said Act," according to the bill's ‘statement of object and reasons.’

Additionally, the Centre is set to present two reports of the Standing Committee on Finance, with the twenty-seventh report on the "Performance review of National Statistical Commission (NSC)"; and the Twenty-eight report on “Review of working of insolvency and bankruptcy code and emerging issues.”

MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab and Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy will present the two reports of the Standing Committee on Finance.

(ANI inputs)

Parliament Winter Session Day 2 LIVE: Kanniyakumari MP Vijay Kumar alias Vijay Vasanth has moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, calling the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision a rushed and unplanned exercise that has pushed India’s electoral system into crisis.

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva has given a Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 and demanded to discuss the need for electoral reforms to further strengthen the electoral processes in the country

As the opposition continues to create an uproar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, sources indicate that the Central government is ready for a discussion. The government is reportedly planning an outreach effort and is preparing to accommodate the opposition's demand for a parliamentary debate on the SIR exercise. Listen to more details from Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor - 

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