The Indian Parliament, once the vibrant arena of national debate and democratic accountability, now stands hollow—its chambers echoing not with reasoned arguments but with the clamour of distrust, procedural traps and mutual recrimination.

In the first phase of the 2026 Budget session, which concluded with adjournment sine die on February 13 before resuming on March 9, what should have been a rigorous examination of the Union Budget—addressing economic pressures, rural distress, unemployment, defence spending amid border tensions and fiscal allocations for a nation of 1.4 billion—degenerated into near-total paralysis.

The session became a stark illustration of form over substance: endless adjournments, symbolic motions and orchestrated outrage supplanted any meaningful discussion on policy or development.

Uproar over Naravane memoir reference

The spark came early, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, sought to reference excerpts from an unpublished memoir by former Army Chief General MM Naravane, titled Four Stars of Destiny, which reportedly detailed lapses in handling the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with China.

Gandhi aimed to question the government's narrative on national security and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decisiveness. The Speaker disallowed it, citing rules against unpublished material, triggering immediate uproar.

Congress MPs rushed to the Well, tore papers and threw them towards the Chair, leading to the suspension of eight opposition........

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