The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed The Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, 2019.
Parliament Winter Session 2019 Highlights: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed The Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, 2019 that is aimed at extending SC-ST quota in legislatures. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on Monday. It amends provisions related to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The Bill seeks to extend the reservation for SCs and STs by another 10 years till January 25, 2030.
In another development, the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be again introduced in Rajya Sabha at 2 PM Wednesday. The Lok Sabha Monday passed the Bill with 311 votes in favour and 80 against. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who tabled the Bill earlier in the day, said it was not in violation of constitutional provisions and would provide relief to people living a painful life after facing persecution in neighbouring countries. The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there.
In Rajya Sabha today, Shah also said a decision on releasing detained political leaders, including three former chief ministers, in Jammu and Kashmir will be taken by the local administration and the central government will not interfere in the matter. The minister’s statement came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked the government when political leaders, including sitting member and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, would be released.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday alleged that the Congress accepted the two-nation theory to divide India on religious lines for the personal interest of one person who was not willing to give up the post of prime minister, an apparent reference to Jawaharlal Nehru. PTI
As many as 52,720 Integrated GST (IGST) refund claims are pending for more than one year, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed Parliament on Tuesday, reports PTI. The reasons for this pendency include non-submission of required documents by the applicants, he said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. A number of companies applied for Goods & Services Tax (GST) refund since the introduction of the tax regime, he said, adding a total of 1,86,158 entities have filed 36,42,272 refund applications, out of which 34,46,010 refund applications have been finalised as on December 2.
In reply to another question, Thakur said the net direct collection for the period from April till November, 2019 stood at Rs 5,56,490 crore whereas for the corresponding period of previous fiscal it was at Rs 5,47,711 crore, which indicates growth in collection. As per the Budget Estimate, direct tax collection for the current fiscal was pegged at Rs 13,35,000 crore.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he was "overjoyed on the unanimous passage of The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2019 that extends SC/ST reservations for ten more years. We are unwaveringly committed towards the empowerment of our citizens, especially the marginalised." The PM's tweet came after the Lok Sabha today passed Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in the Lower House and state assemblies by another 10 years.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday told Lok Sabha that he would write to chief ministers urging them to ensure that investigations into cases of crime against women and children are completed in two months, reports PTI. He also said that he would be writing to chief justices of the 25 high courts that fast track courts complete trial within six months. Timeline on investigation and trial are part of a law passed by Parliament in 2018.
Prasad made these remarks while replying to the debate on a bill to extend by 10 years reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. During the course of debate, some members had expressed concern over crime against women from SC and ST communities. The law minister said atrocities and crime against women are condemnable.
The controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 will be introduced in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, reports PTI. Despite a boost in opposition numbers in Rajya Sabha against the contentious Bill, the BJP is confident that the proposed legislation will be passed by the House with a comfortable majority on Wednesday when it is scheduled to be taken up for discussion.
The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on December 9, 2019. The Bill amends provisions related to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Constitution provides for reservation of seats for SCs and STs and representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination, in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies of states. This has been provided for a period of 70 years since the enactment of the Constitution and will expire on January 25, 2020. The Bill seeks to extend the reservation for SCs and STs by another 10 years till January 25, 2030.
The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 has been passed in Rajya Sabha. Meanwhile, voting is underway in Lok Sabha on the 126th Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Voice vote is underway in the upper house on The Arms Amendment Bill. The Bill enjoyed a smooth passage in the Lok Sabha yesterday.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu says in the House: “in my opinion women don’t need arms, others will protect you”. BJP MP Roopa Ganguly responds: “I’ve been shooting since childhood, I like it.” She was speaking on the Arms Amendment Bill in the upper house.
Discussion on The Constitution Amendment Bill is underway in Lok Sabha. Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is currently speaking in the House.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday welcomed the passage of the Citizen Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, reports PTI. "Rising above the differences, the Modi government takes all sections along with it. The latest example of this is the Citizen Amendment Bill 2019. Devbhoomi Himachal congratulates the Centre and all the honourable members of Parliament," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
In another tweet, Thakur said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah has brought forth several facts that had disappeared in the pages of history in his impressive address in the Lok Sabha. His speech will add a new dimension to the history of the country."
Trinamool Congress members on Tuesday shouted slogans against the West Bengal Governor and walked out of Rajya Sabha after the party was not allowed to raise an issue, drawing the ire of Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu who said Parliament's image was "going down" due to such conduct. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has been accusing Governor Jagdeep Dhankar of delaying clearance to the bill concerning the formation of SC and ST Commission in West Bengal and other legislations.
The issue was also raised by TMC MP Saugata Roy in Lok Sabha during the debate on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2019 related to extending the quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in legislatures for 10 years. PTI
A discussion on The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Bill, 2019 in underway in Lok Sabha. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, on December 9, 2019. The Bill amends provisions related to reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Constitution provides for reservation of seats for SCs and STs and representation of the Anglo-Indian community by nomination, in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies of states. This has been provided for a period of 70 years since the enactment of the Constitution and will expire on January 25, 2020. The Bill seeks to extend the reservation for SCs and STs by another 10 years till January 25, 2030. (Source: PRS)
In an impassioned speech, DMK MP Kanimozhi in Lok Sabha asked Members to look at the status of Dalit women in the country. “Hang our head in shame,” she said while adding, “women are whichever caste they come from, are Dalits in this country.” Speaking on 126th Constitutional amendment bill in Lok Sabha, Kanimozhi warned BJP: “Just because you have majority you cannot hurt the minority”
Hussain Dalwai, INC, Maharashtra, while speaking on the Arms Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha said that illegal arms are sold like vegetables in Uttar Pradesh. He referred to unlicenced arms as 'Katta', saying that these weapons are manufactured in UP and then circulated as far as Maharashtra. He said that these illegal arms have given rise to crime while referring instances of gun violence in UP and other parts of the country.
Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy has moved Arms Amendment Bill in the upper house of the Parliament. The Bill was passed in Lok Sabha Monday which seeks to enhance punishment for illegally possessing and making prohibited arms, besides other changes in the six-decade-old Arms Act.
The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha brought cheers to the Hindu migrants from Pakistan who are living in the city and they are now looking forward to the bill getting a nod from the Rajya Sabha, reports PTI. Premchand, who had shifted here from Pakistan in 2005 and applied for citizenship later, expressed happiness over this development.
"The government has given a new life to us. We express our gratitude to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP government for giving us a chance to live in India with dignity," he said, adding that he has applied for citizenship. Hindu Singh Sodha, the president of the Seemant Lok Sangathan, an organisation fighting for the rights of the migrants, said this amendment would make more migrants eligible for citizenship.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the Shiv Sena won't back the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha till there is
clarity on the party's queries posed in the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees coming from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan after facing religious persecution there, a little past midnight on Monday after a heated debate that lasted over seven hours.
The Sena supported the Bill in the Lower House. Thackeray told reporters here that a detailed discussion and debate on the Bill was necessary. PTI
MoS for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy in a written reply to a question asked by Rahul Gandhi on farmers' suicides said that many states/union territories reported “Nil” data on suicides by farmers/cultivators and agricultural labourers, as informed by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Voicing concern over increasing default in loan repayment under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (Mudra), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday demanded that the government rollback the scheme before rising NPAs stifle credit growth and bring ruin to the MSME sector. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Upper House, TMC member Manish Gupta said, "Public sector banks have suffered hugely because of this scheme as collateral is not mandatory under the scheme. Over 2,300 cases of fraud have been detected and Mudra category loans have increased over last few years." (PTI)
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm.
The central government has asked states and union territories to ensure that names of people are not deleted from the ration card database due to non- possession of Aadhaar, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Tuesday. The minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution told Lok Sabha that in case of Aadhaar authentication failure, certain other alternatives have been prescribed to avail benefits under the public distribution system. (PTI)
Security has been beefed up across the states of North-East as an 11-hour bandh called in protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill — which was passed by Lok Sabha yesterday — began from 5 am Tuesday. Nagaland is not participating in the bandh in view of the ongoing Hornbill Festival there. The Citizenship Bill will make it easier for certain categories of migrants to become eligible for Indian citizenship. The revised version of Bill keeps out of its purview all ILP states — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland — and the Sixth Schedule regions in Tripura, Assam, and Meghalaya. The bandh has been called by the North-East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an umbrella body of influential students’ bodies of the region, against the “imposition” of the CAB on the Northeast.
The issue of non-payment of salaries and wages to workers and employees of Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd (HPCL), which is undergoing insolvency process, from last 35 months was raised in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) member Dola Sen demanded that the central government should take necessary action in this regard. (PTI)
Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary said in Lok Sabha, it is unfortunate that Prime Minister who speaks on everything is silent on this issue (crimes against women). "From 'make in India', India is slowly heading towards 'rape in India'," he said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a decision on releasing detained political leaders, including three former chief ministers, in Jammu and Kashmir will be taken by the local administration and the central government will not interfere in the matter. The minister's statement came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asked the government when political leaders, including sitting member and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, would be released. "There is no need to keep anyone (leaders) in jail even for a day more than that is required. As and when the local administration feels the time is appropriate, they will be released. (PTI)
While replying to Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Amit Shah said, "99.5 per cent students sat for exams in Kashmir, but for Adhir Ranjan ji this is not normalcy, 7 lakh people availed OPD services in Srinagar, curfew and section 144 was removed from everywhere. But for Adhir ji the only parameter for normalcy is political activity. What about local body polls which were held? "
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Lok Sabha Tuesday that situation in Kashmir Valley is completely normal. 'I can't make Congress' condition normal, because they had predicted bloodshed after the abrogation of Article 370. Nothing of that sort happened, not even one bullet was fired', he added.
The Lok Sabha, Tuesday midnight, passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill with 311 – 80 voting in favour. Several political leaders spoke in favour of the bill while some spoke against it. BJP leaders and many NDA alliance partners extended their support, while opposition party leaders and some others like JD(U) national president Prashant Kishor and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised the stand of BJP-led central government to “discriminate the right of citizenship on the basis of religion”. Read more on how political leaders reacted
The BJP is confident of the passage of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha which will be introduced in the upper house on Wednesday, sources said on Tuesday. The bill piloted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah was comfortably passed in the Lok Sabha on late Monday night as the ruling BJP enjoys a clear majority in the house. Sources in the party said that the legislation will also sail through the Rajya Sabha as the ruling NDA has the numbers. (PTI)
In Punjab, protesters include individuals who own more than one weapon. These include businessmen, former Army personnel and farmers. The Punjab government’s position is that over 50 per cent of the state’s farmers stay in remote villages and need arms to protect themselves. Villagers close to the Pakistan border are also insecure about infiltrators. Some Punjab residents still keep the guns they had acquired during the days of militancy in the 1980s and 1990s. Many residents inherited vintage weapons from their ancestors, which they do not want to part with. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said the state does not have a problem with any other provisions of the Act, but with the limit on firearm possession. He has written to the Centre urging it not to reduce the number “in view of the sensitive location and troubled history of the state”. Singh took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he visited Punjab during the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to move the Arms Amendment Bill for passage in Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
TMC MP Saugata Roy has given an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over "brutal lathicharge on Jawaharlal Nehru University students by Delhi Police."
The Left parties protested against Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament Tuesday.
A public statement floated by a group of academics against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) received endorsement by scientists, academicians, students and thinkers from India and abroad. The statement, released through Google forms on December 7, saw over 1,120 verified endorsements within 48 hours. Signatories included scholars from IITs, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Harvard University, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Yale University, University of Massachusetts and others. The statement read, “We understand the Bill seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The stated intent of the Bill is to provide refuge to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries. While we support this laudable objective, we find it deeply troubling that the Bill uses religion as a legal criterion for determining Indian citizenship.”
Congress MP Chhaya Verma has given Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over 'unprecedented rise in price of onions in the country.'
Biju Janata Dal MP Prasanna Acharya has given Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over 'alarming position of India in 2019 Global Hunger Index.'
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram described the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as "patently unconstitutional" on Tuesday and said with its passage in Parliament, the battleground will shift to the Supreme Court. He claimed that the elected lawmakers were abdicating their responsibilities in favour of lawyers and judges. "CAB is unconstitutional. Parliament passes a Bill that is patently unconstitutional and the battleground shifts to the Supreme Court. Elected Parliamentarians are abdicating their responsibilities in favour of lawyers and judges!," Chidambaram said in a tweet. (PTI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the Arms Amendment Bill for passage in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The Centre’s decision to further tighten the gun law has met with resistance from traditional gun-owning communities in Rajasthan and Punjab. Members of the Rajput community and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh have objected to a provision in the Centre’s proposed amendments to the 1959 Arms Act that prohibit an Indian citizen from owning more than one gun. The 1959 Arms Act allowed a licence holder to have three firearms.
Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal is likely to make a statement in Rajya Sabha Tuesday, regarding 'India's position in Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).'
On a day Union Home minister Amit Shah tabled the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in Lok Sabha, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said citizenship can never be granted on the basis of religion in a secular country like India. “It’s a divisive Bill and should be opposed at any cost. In a secular country like India, citizenship can never be accorded on the basis of religion,” she said during a thanksgiving rally at Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district on Monday. Banerjee Monday led the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) victory rally, thanking the voters in Kharagpur where her party won the recent bypolls.
At least 14 Muslim organisations on Monday appealed to the Trinamool Congress to do more than just walking out of Parliament and up its ante against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, or CAB. They alleged that the walk-out by the TMC MPs in parliament during the tabling of various Bill inadvertently helps the BJP government at the Centre. They warned that if this continues, the community may not support the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC. The organisations listed their demands during a press conference.
From accusing the BJP-led government of violating the basic structure of the Constitution and Articles related to right to equality and prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion and race, to charging it with indulging in divisive and vote-bank politics and stoking fear in the minds of Muslims, the Opposition on Monday waged a spirited attack against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill but could not stop its passage in Lok Sabha, where the ruling NDA has a huge majority. While the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) joined the Opposition ranks to oppose the Bill, its support will not be enough to prevent its passage in Rajya Sabha, as the numbers are stacked in favour of the government. With the BJD, AIADMK and YSRCP backing the Bill, and former BJP ally Shiv Sena not openly opposing it, the ruling alliance is set to cross the halfway mark in the 240-member House, where five seats are vacant.
Terming the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill “a dangerous turn in the wrong direction”, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has stated it is “deeply troubled” by the Bill’s religion criterion and the US government should consider sanctions against Union Home Minister Amit Shah if the Bill is passed by the Upper House, too. The federal US commission on international religious freedom said introduction of CAB along with the ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) process has instilled fears that the “religious test” would strip millions of Muslims of their citizenship. Read more here
On Monday, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, states in the North-East, except Nagaland, announced a shutdown against it on Tuesday, following a call by the North-East Students’ Organisation (NESO), an umbrella body of influential students’ bodies of the region. Samuel Jyrwa, chairman of the NESO, told The Indian Express that the shutdown will be 11-hour long, from 5 am to 4 pm. He said the protest was against the “imposition” of the CAB on the Northeast which, he said, would open the floodgates for “illegal Bangladeshis” and signified a “dishonouring of the demands of the people of the Northeast” Read more here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said he was delighted that the Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, after a rich and extensive debate. The contentious Bill was passed at 12:02 am this morning after over seven hours of heated debate in the House as the Opposition argued the proposed law was “divisive” and “communal”. “I thank the various MPs and parties that supported the Bill. This Bill is in line with India’s centuries-old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values,” the Prime Minister said. Read more here
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on CAB: Pakistan, Bangladesh, & Afghanistan all are Islamic states, followers of Islam cannot be persecuted there on basis of religion. This Bill only gives citizenship to those who are persecuted on the basis of religion in these three countries.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah: I extend my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making the historic Citizenship Amendment Bill a reality, that will allow India to open its doors to minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh & Afghanistan who are facing religious persecution.
Shashi Tharoor, Congress on Lok Sabha passes Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019: Today is a black day for our constitution because what happened was unconstitutional. It very clearly targets the Muslim community, it is very shameful.
Former Assam CM & Congress leader Tarun Gogoi: This is dangerous for Assam, we are next door neighbours to Bangladesh. This Bill will adversely affect the culture, heritage, & population structure of the North-East.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "delighted that Lok Sabha has passed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 after a rich and extensive debate."
"I thank the various MPs and parties that supported the Bill. This Bill is in line with India’s centuries old ethos of assimilation and belief in humanitarian values," he said.
There is no hatred for any religion, says Home Minister Amit Shah during debate on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha.
Indian constitution our only religion, home minister Amit Shah said in reply to CAB debate. Shah said the bill doen't affect Muslim citizens of India
Amit Shah in Lok Sabha: There is a difference between a refugee and an infiltrator. Those who come here due to persecution, to save their religion & the honour of the women of their family, they are refugees and those who come here illegally are infiltrators.
"Congress is such a secular party that it has Muslim League as a partner in Kerala and Shiv Sena as its partner in Maharashtra," says Amit Shah in Parliament
Article 370 different from Article 371. Article 371 doesn't claim separate flag or call for independece. I want to assure the entire Northeast. We won't touch Article 371: Amit Shah
"Whole of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line Permit (ILP), they have nothing to worry about. All of Nagaland, except a small part of Dimapur is also protected by Inner Line Permit, they too have nothing to worry," he said.
Will never accept Rohingya refugees as citizens, asserts Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha: Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is ours, the people there are also ours. Even today, we have reserved 24 seats for them in the Jammu & Kashmir assembly.
India doesn't need refugee policy, has enough laws for protection of refugees, Amit Shah says while responding to debate on Citizenship Bill
While Hindu population went down, the Muslim population in India has increased in last 7 decades; will not discriminate against anyone on basis of religion: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha."In 1991, Hindu population was 84% and in 2011, it was 79%. In 1991, Muslim population was 9.8% and today it's 14.23%. We have done no discrimination on basis of religion & in future as well, there will be no discrimination based on religion," he said.
Amit Shah in Parliament: Citizenship Bill will give relief to people living a painful life after facing persecution in neighbouring countries. "Had India not been divided on religious lines, there was no need for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill," he said.