Parliament Monsoon Session 2018 highlights: The monsoon session is spread over a span of 24 days with a total of 18 sittings in all. (Express photo)
Parliament Monsoon Session 2018: Despite witnessing unruly scenes by TDP MPs demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh, the Rajya Sabha on Monday passed amendments to Special Relief Act and sent the Ancient Monuments (Amendment) Bill to the select committee after the Opposition raised objections to some provisions. One of the major features of the amendment to the Specific Relief Act, which has been formulated to further ease the process of doing business in India, is that it makes the grant of specific performance of contracts compulsory by taking away the discretionary power of courts.
Meanwhile, the Congress is likely to move a privilege motion in the Lok Sabha against Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “misleading the House” on the Rafale deal. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma, however, said the decision now rested upon the party’s Lok Sabha leadership.
The recent incident of a 28-year-old Muslim man being beaten to death in Rajasthan’s Alwar district on Friday by alleged cow vigilantes was also raised in both the Houses.
In this combo of four photos is seen Congress President Rahul Gandhi as he hugs Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his speech in the Lok Sabha on 'no-confidence motion' during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday (PTI)
Expressing concerns over the growing number of mob violence incidents in the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed the House that the government had constituted a four-member committee, headed by Union Home Secretary, to suggest laws against lynching and mob violence. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned for the day.
Telecast of proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were suspended for 15 minutes on the orders of chairman Venkaiah Naidu after TDP members continued with their protest seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. Naidu ordered stoppage of telecast of proceedings, saying, "Only voice will go; noise will not go". Even after the warning, TDP MPs were seen trooping into the Well during the Question Hour, raising slogans in support of their demands. "Nothing else (apart from listed proceedings) will go on record...Please take note, neither the electronic media, nor the print media," a visibly upset Naidu said.
Rajya Sabha members can now submit notices to raise discussions or questions from anywhere with the launch of a new app, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said on Monday. The secure e-Notices application can be used to submit online notices for raising issues under rules for Question Hour, Zero Hour, Special Mention, Calling Attention and Short Duration Discussion. "However, the existing system of giving physical notices in the Notice Office would also continue," PTI quoted Naidu as saying.
There was a heated debate in the Rajya Sabha over the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act. The Congress and other opposition parties demanded that the bill be sent to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha, even as the government sought its early passage. The legislation has already been passed by the Lok Sabha on January 3. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and his deputy Anand Sharma suggested that since the bill had not been scrutinised by a parliamentary panel, it should be sent to a select committee.
Reacting to the statement, Culture minister Mahesh Sharma emphasised that the bill needed to be expeditiously taken up for passage as important infrastructure projects were held up.
There was some afternoon drama in the Lok Sabha after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge objected to an officer allegedly taking notes and counting the number of the opposition members during the Question Hour, saying he was carrying out 'surveillance'. 'An officer standing in the Officer's Gallery was taking notes of the debates and even counting the number of the opposition members. It is surveillance. Who is he? Why is he taking notes? He is counting the number of the MPs this side,' Kharge said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan assured the Congress MPs that she would look into the matter. Putting to end all the suspense, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said the concerned officer belonged to his Ministry and was doing his duty.
Lok Sabha passes the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill. The Bill provides for the filing of cheque bounce cases at the place where a cheque is presented for clearance and not the place of issue. The Bill overturns a Supreme Court ruling, which said the cases have to be initiated where the cheque-issuing branch was located.
Motor Vehicle Bill is being taken up in the RajyaSabha. It amends the 1988 Act to address issues such as third-party insurance, regulation of taxi aggregators, and road safety. India, as a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration, intends to reduce road accidents and traffic fatalities by 50% by 2022. As per 2015-16 data, there have been 5,01,423 road accidents and 1,46,133 people have died.
Responding to Tharoor on the Negotiable Instruments Laws (Amendment) Act, BJP's Shivakumar Udasi says the Bill is the first step and many more amendments will be done in future. However, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised a Point of Order, saying no minister is present in the House when the Bill is being discussed. 'Don't your ministers have confidence in your government,' he asked.
AIADMK's Vijaykumar opines that the Bill must protect the poor and middle class from money lenders and usury. TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says courts should be more serious in dealing with cases under the act. Stating that it is the middle class who suffers the most due to cheque bounces, Banerjee says there should be a provision where the issuer must deposit 100 per cent in court in case of dispute.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018, was introduced by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal in the Lok Sabha today. The amendments will empower home buyers to be recognised as financial creditors. However, the opposition parties objected to the changes, alleging that the amendments were intended to "help one industry". The bill replaced the Ordinance that was approved by the Union Cabinet in May.
"The Ordinance brought by the government lowers the minimum vote requirement for passing the resolution to 66 per cent from 75 per cent in the original act. This is nothing but a fixed match... It is a clear case of crony capitalisation and loot of public money," said BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab. Countering Mahtab's allegations as "baseless", Goyal said ,"the law is prospective and is not intended to benefit anyone".
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduces The Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, 2018 in Rajya Sabha. The Bill, amending the Specific Relief Act, 1963, was passed by the Lok Sabha in March during the Budget session. The proposed amendment to the Specific Relief Act has been formulated with the intention to further ease the process of doing business in India. One of the major features of the amendment is that it makes the grant of specific performance of contracts compulsory, by taking away the discretionary power of courts.
For the uninitiated, the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill inserts a provision allowing a court trying an offence related to cheque bounce to direct the drawer (person who writes the cheque) to pay interim compensation to the complainant.
Continuing his speech in the Lok Sabha, Shashi Tharoor says if a person wilfully denies to appear in a cheque bounce case, the aggrieved party suffers. Citing the rule in Bangladesh that facilitates trial in absentia, the Congress MP says it should also be allowed in India. Tharoor further says in France, a person declared wilful offender in cheque bounce cases cannot write cheques for five years. "Such provisions are missing in the Negotiable Instruments Laws (Amendment) Act," Tharoor says. The third suggestion put forth by Tharoor is that fast track courts should be set up for cheque bounce cases. "We are not voting against the Bill. It could have been better Bill. I will be happy if the Bill is amended," he says.
Kerala Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that the credibility of cheques is not only important for corporate people but also for common people. Addressing the issue of cheque-wapsi in today's digital cashless economy, Tharoor said that under the Negotiable Instruments Laws (Amendment) Act, raised various concerns regarding cheque payments in the country. Asking if the bill is the best version that can be provided for MSMEs, Tharoor said, "Demonetisation was a bad idea implemented badly, and GST was a good idea implemented badly. "
As Rajya Sabha session resumes, Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill is being been taken up as LoP Ghulam Nabi Azad proposes that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee for examination.
In retaliation to Congress' move, BJP members have moved notice for privilege motion against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, which Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she will examine.
(With inputs from PTI)
After raising the Rafale deal issue in the Lok Sabha today, Congress likely to move privilege motion against PM Modi and Defence Minister Niramal Sitharaman.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu before adjourning the Upper House session said that notices can be submitted online as well. In order to ease out the process of discussion and question hour, MPs can make use of the new application. He, however, said the requirement of giving a physical notice has not been done away with.
(With inputs from PTI)
During the proceedings in Lok Sabha, when Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia raised the issue of rising rapes in the country citing NCRB data, speaker Sumitra Mahajan cut him off saying, "Don't politicise rapes. I'm also a woman." She proceeded on to the next minister to raise questions disallowing Scindia to finish his statement.
Rajya Sabha to resume after lunch
Discussing the Rafale deal, Congress' Anand Sharma alleges PM Narendra Modi had knowledge of the understanding between India and France for 126 aircraft. He said, "Our PM arbitrarily, without any sanction from the Cabinet Committee of Security, changed the Rafale Deal, where the price was much higher per unit of aircraft. The PM must confirm or deny in the Parliament that after returning from France the Deal was changed without informing the Cabinet Committee of Security."
Criminal Law Amendment Bill introduced in #LokSabha. Bill replaces ordinance in force.
As Rajya Sabha resumes, Question Hour is in progress. MoS Defence Subhash Bamre answers questions about welfare measures taken for defence personnel and their families. Members keep raising slogans but Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu asks the proceedings to continue in front of camera.
Piyush Goyal during the ongoing monsoon session said that the banking sector was in bad shape when Modi government took over in 2014. The minister added that between 2008 and 2014, loans were given to non-credible and irresponsible promoters. He also said that bad loans in India's banking sector were during the UPA's rule.
Ananth Kumar, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in response to Kerala Congress MP K C Venugopal said that floods have hit different parts of the country, therefore it is a matter of concern. "We need to have a proper discussion regarding the flood issue and not to politicise the issue of human suffering. Home minister has assured that minister will be sent for assistance not only to Kerala but to all flooded states."
The National Sports University Bill, 2017 introduced by Col. and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh and The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2015 have been withdrawn from the Lok Sabha.
In reply to Congress leader Rajeev Shankarrao Satav's questions regarding EPF data, Labour minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar says that since September, people have been getting their pension on time. Gangwar also says that different sections of the society are considered before increments on the pension are done.
YSR Congress Party Kothapalli Geetha asks status about seven schools in Andhra Pradesh to ensure funds do not return to the Union government. "14 schools are already there in Andhra Pradesh," says Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Tamil Nadu AIADMK MP P R Sundaram and Karnataka Congress MP K H Muniyappa direct questions regarding the need for schools in tribal areas and the lack of it to which BJP MP Jual Oram said that schools are being built in tribal areas according to areawise priority.
Ruckus in Lok Sabha over Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's comment
We had been moving the no-confidence motion for entire second half of budget session, finally the discussion took place but PM didn't bother to answer any of our question, we heard same statements, so nothing has changed for us, no option rather than to protest: TDP MP Jayadev Galla
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar addressed Lok Sabha on the issue regarding the Higher Education Commission of India. He said that there is not going to be any change in the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/OBC reservations and the UGC is not going to be converted into a 'bureaucratic body' rather will continue being 'anonymous.'
"We will only change the name. The UGC has to concentrate on quality of education and maintenance of standards," he said.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has issues a warning leading to a ruckus as MPs arrive late. Rajya Sabha is soon adjourned.
Punjab MPs staged a protest before the start of the session over unemployment
In protest demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh, state MPs today staged a protest in the Parliament before the start of the monsoon session
Congress party leader Mallikarjun Kharge at the start of the Parliament Monsoon session criticized the government saying it 'does not want the situation in the country to improve'
Welcome to live blog. After the showdown during the no-confidence motion last week, the Parliament will reconvene on Monday to discuss key legislative bills. Follow this space to track all latest developments