‘Lost 53 hours and 21 minutes’: Kiren Rijiju on Parliament logjam; cites 1997 resolution | India News

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday raised concern over repeated disruptions in the Rajya Sabha, claiming that the, “ongoing protests have already cost the Upper House 53 hours and 21 minutes of working time.“ He urged the MPs to uphold a 1997 resolution that calls for smooth functioning of the Upper House.Sharing a post on X, Rijiju cited remarks by Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh on August 7, highlighting the loss of working hours in the ongoing session.“Even the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) has become the victim of disruptions. Honb’le MPs should look at this resolution of 1997. Honb’le Dy. Chairman observed on 7. 8. 25: During the current Session, we had the opportunity to take up 180 Starred Questions, 180 Zero Hour submissions, and 180 Special Mentions on various important issues so far. However, due to continuous disruptions, we have been able to take up only 13 Starred Questions, 5 Zero Hour submissions, and 17 Special Mentions,” Rijiju posted on X.“Because of the disruptions, we have lost 53 hours and 21 minutes of this Session so far (till 1.00 PM of 7th August, 2025),” he added.Despite protests from opposition MPs, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025, which had already cleared the Lok Sabha on April 3. The new law will replace Part XIV of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, with updated rules aligned to global cabotage standards.According to the government, the Bill will help unlock the economic potential of India’s 11,098-km coastline, spanning nine coastal states and four union territories. It was moved in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal.Parliament has witnessed days of protests and slogans by the INDIA bloc over the Bihar Special Intense Revision (SIR) row.The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is a focused exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to verify and update voter records. This process involves house-to-house verification to identify and remove duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters, while also enrolling eligible new voters.Initiated this year, the revision in Bihar has sparked political uproar, with opposition parties alleging that the process is being used selectively to “disenfranchise voters from marginalised communities”.The opposition claims the revision process could remove many voters from the rolls and has been demanding a debate on the issue since the Monsoon Session began, ANI reported.The Trinamool Congress has also staged protests, calling the exercise an “insult” to the people of Bengal.Earlier, in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the government rejected opposition demands for a discussion on the SIR, citing constitutional provisions. Rijiju referred to a 1988 ruling by then Speaker Bal Ram Jakhar, saying that, “On the issue of special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar for which they (opposition members) are disturbing the House from first day of the session, we all know that the matter is under consideration of SC and as such it is sub judice, and hence, a discussion cannot be held on the subject,” Rijiju told the House.