The Monsoon Session of Parliament ended on Thursday with high drama, as 19 bills were cleared without any proper discussion or debate. Government sources told NDTV that the session saw the passage of several important bills, including a proposal to replace the Income Tax Act of 1961 and a constitutional amendment aimed at removing ministers facing criminal charges.

The bills were pushed throughin the middle of loud opposition protests. The uproar was mainly over the Bihar voter list controversy and allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who claimed the BJP had colluded with the Election Commission to commit voter fraud in Karnataka and Maharashtra last year.

Key bill passed during Monsoon Session

Among the key legislations passed were the Income Tax Bill, the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, and the Online Gaming Bill. The gaming law recognises e-sports and online social games but bans gambling apps and money-based games, which are often promoted by celebrities.

Two bills related to Manipur, the GST(Amendment) Bill and the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, were also cleared, along with legislation concerning the functioning of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). These, too, were passed with little or no input from the opposition.

In total, the Lok Sabha cleared 12 bills and the Rajya Sabha cleared 14 during this session. However, the opposition boycotted much of the discussion, including a special debate on astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station.

The government has strongly criticised the opposition’s absence. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed disappointment that the opposition did not engage in discussions over the new Income Tax Bill, despite agreeing earlier to allocate 16 hours in each House for debate.

Frequent walkouts and protests led to repeated adjournments, echoing past sessions. In 2012, disruptions were estimated to cost the public exchequer ₹2.5 lakh per minute. With inflation and rising costs, experts believe today’s figure would be much higher.

The Monsoon Session, which began on July 21 with protests over Operation Sindoor, has now ended with both sides blaming each other,  the government accusing the opposition of neglecting debate, and the opposition accusing the government of bulldozing bills without accountability.