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The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed two significant Bills – the ‘Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025, and the ‘Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025′ – through voice vote, as the Opposition members staged a walkout over their demand for a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The Upper House, which reconvened at 2 pm, took up the discussion on the Manipur Appropriation Bill, 2025, and The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Opposition MPs reached the House as the debate was going on and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was briefly allowed to speak by Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair. Kharge sought to raise the issue of their protest march to the EC office, which the treasury benches strongly objected to, leading to a brief uproar. Leader of the House J P Nadda criticised the Opposition for disrupting proceedings and causing “anarchism and obstructionism”. Patra said anything which doesn’t pertain to the discussion on the schedule legislative business will not go on record.
Amid the din, the Upper House returned the two Manipur Bills to the Lok Sabha through voice vote.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the Opposition for opposing the Manipur budget. She said while the Opposition MPs speak about Manipur, when its budget and GST Bills are being taken up, they are not just protesting on some other issue, but also voting against it.
The Opposition soon staged a walkout, after which Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal moved the Merchant Shipping Bill, which is aimed at consolidating and amending the law relating to merchant shipping to ensure compliance with India’s obligation under the maritime treaties.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill with a voice vote; the Lok Sabha had passed it on August 6.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moved ‘The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025′ for consideration and passage in the Upper House. He said the Bill seeks to provide representation to the Scheduled Tribes in the 40-member state Assembly, which has one seat reserved for Scheduled Castes but none for STs.
The Upper House passed the Bill through voice vote; it was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 5.
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