Parliament Winter Session Day 2: Delhi Pollution in Focus, JNU Protests May Be Raised

Delhi’s pollution crisis was expected to be the main focus in Parliament on Tuesday, the second day of the Winter Session, with MPs set to discuss how to tackle the problem in the capital and neighbouring states. Several important and contentious bills were also likely to be introduced.

Day one

Monday marked the start of the Rajya Sabha’s 250th session. Addressing the House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Upper House may come second but should not be treated as secondary, noting it had taken some historic decisions. The Opposition pressed the government on Kashmir, with Congress, National Conference and DMK MPs protesting in the well over the situation more than 100 days after Article 370 was revoked. Modi told journalists the government was “open to discussions on all issues” in the session, which runs from November 18 to December 13 and is Parliament’s last of 2019.

JNU protests

CPI parliamentary party leader Binoy Viswam wrote to the Rajya Sabha chairman seeking suspension of business on November 19 to take up the police action against JNU students. He said over 2,000 students who had planned a peaceful march to Parliament against the university administration were manhandled and detained, leaving many injured, and that changes in fees and hostel charges would hit students from vulnerable sections hardest. He called the episode a “black mark” on India’s democratic values.

Bills on the agenda

• Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: listed for passage, it would give citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The government could not pass it in its previous term amid opposition protests that it discriminated on religious grounds.
• Personal Data Protection Bill: it would restrict use of personal data without citizens’ explicit consent and impose heavy penalties for violations. The 2018 draft, based on a panel led by Justice B N Srikrishna, restricts cross-border data transfers and proposes a Data Protection Authority of India.

What happened next

Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December 2019.

See also: Lok Sabha members.

Originally published on 19 November 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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