New Delhi, August 3: The Rajya Sabha witnessed significant uproar from the opposition during the ongoing monsoon session on Monday. Despite the chaos, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 was passed by voice vote. The bill was introduced in the house by Union Minister for MSMEs, Jitan Ram Manjhi. Meanwhile, opposition members vocally protested against police action on student demonstrators.
This turmoil led to the suspension of the house proceedings immediately after the bill’s passage, which will resume on Tuesday at 11 AM. Earlier, due to the ruckus, the proceedings were adjourned until 2 PM. When the house reconvened at 2 PM, the opposition’s protests continued. Amidst the noise, discussions on the MSME Development Act, 2006 amendment bill commenced, but disruptions persisted throughout.
Several MPs managed to discuss the amendment bill amidst the uproar, while opposition members continued their chants. Following the discussions, the bill was successfully passed in the Rajya Sabha. Prior to this, Congress MP Ajay Maken raised concerns about the opposition leader not being given a chance to speak. He stated that having served as the Delhi Assembly Speaker, a Lok Sabha member for ten years, and a Rajya Sabha member, he had never witnessed such a situation where the opposition leader was denied the opportunity to express their views in the house.
Maken emphasized that discussions on any bill directly impact the youth and students of the country. If the opposition leader wishes to address issues of alleged mistreatment of students, they should be allowed to speak. He further accused the government of operating two systems: one for large corporate entities and another for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
During this time, Deputy Chairman Harivansh repeatedly urged Maken to stick to the bill’s subject matter. He pointed out that Maken was not discussing the bill.
Leader of the House JP Nadda also objected, stating that Maken had not made a single relevant comment regarding the bill and that his unrelated statements should be removed from the proceedings. The Deputy Chairman clarified that according to the rules, if a member does not speak on the bill, another member must be given the opportunity to do so.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that while everyone has the right to protest in the house, disregarding rules to speak on unrelated matters is not in line with parliamentary traditions. Rijiju accused Maken of undermining the dignity of the house with his actions. The Deputy Chairman urged Maken and other opposition members to focus solely on the bill, warning that they would need to conclude their statements otherwise.
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