Both Houses of Parliament witnessed protest during the ongoing Budget Session on Monday as Opposition members launched a fierce attack on the Uttar Pradesh government over the recent Mahakumbh stampede on January 29.
When the Lok Sabha met for the first time after the President’s address to the joint sitting and presentation of the 2025-26 budget, the opposition MPs led by Congress were on their feet and demanded a discussion on the recent tragedy in Maha Kumbh.
Soon the opposition members stormed the well of the House resorting to noisy protests and sloganeering. The opposition MPs also sought a complete list of those who died in the stampede.
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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla reprimanded the Opposition for indulging in sloganeering, saying, “People of India elected you as MPs not for breaking tables, for sloganeering and disturbing House proceedings, but to hold discussions.”
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Upper House where Opposition lawmakers raised slogans and staged a walkout demanding discussion on the issue.
Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha raised slogans and walked out of the House against Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath government over the Maha Kumbh stampede issue.
While official figures say 30 people were killed and 60 sustained injuries in the stampede, the Opposition has alleged that the number of casualties is higher and accused the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of hiding the death figures.
Outside the house, Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters, “…The incident took place because of the mismanagement of the administration. The eyewitnesses say that thousands were killed in the stampede… Families are not getting bodies, no action has been taken against the officials… We have given notices here but they have been rejected.”
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari echoed similar concerns. He said, “…We walked out of the House for an hour. We will go back again and raise this issue. We are getting calls, people are crying, and they are not able to meet their families. We want to know why the list of the 30 deceased persons has not been released… Our notices are being rejected continuously and the reason for it is also not known…”
The Budget session of the Parliament commenced on January 31, with President Droupadi Murmu delivering her inaugural address.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2024-25 on Friday, projecting India’s GDP to grow at a rate of 6.4 per cent for FY2025. She presented the Union Budget 2025-25 on February 1, announcing major reforms and finance schemes for the upcoming financial year.
The first part of the session will conclude on February 13, and the second part will begin on March 10. The session will conclude on April 4. The session’s legislative agenda has 16 Bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, and the Immigration and Foreigners Bill.
