Parliament Monsoon Session Live Updates: Lok Sabha passes Constitution 127th Amendment Bill, 2021

The Constitution 127th Amendment Bill, 2021, which seeks to restore the states’ power to make their own OBC lists, has been passed in the Lok Sabha. According to PTI, the bill was passed with 385 members supporting it and no members opposing.

The Lok Sabha MPs are currently voting on the Constitution 127th Amendment Bill, 2021 on a clause-by-clause basis. 

During the debate on 'The Constitution (127th Amendment) Bill, 2021', several Opposition parties, including the Congress, demanded a removal of the 50 per cent cap on reservations, while the government underlined its commitment to social justice.

Many leaders such as BJP ally JD(U)'s Lalan Singh, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, BSP's Ritesh Pandey and DMK's T R Baalu demanded a caste census be conducted throughout the country. Whereas, DMK's Baalu and SP's Yadav also demanded the removal of 50 per cent ceiling in reservation. Supriya Sure (NCP) said the credit should for this amendment bill should be given to the Maharashtra government which requested the Centre to do address the issue of OBC reservation. Sule said another important issue along with this legislation is to address the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation without which the amendment will not fully resolve the issue. YSR Congress Party and Shiv Sena also voiced support for the bill. (PTI)

Union minister Nityanand Rai, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, stated that during the Census 2021 exercise, only those SCs and STs that were notified through the constitutional orders of 1950 will be ennumerated. 

Rai said the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was conducted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and the then Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) in rural and urban areas respectively and the SECC 2011 data, excluding the caste data, have been finalised and published by MoRD and HUPA. "The Office of the Registrar General, India had provided logistics and technical support in conducting the SECC-2011. The raw caste data have been provided to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) for classification and categorisation of the data. As informed by MoSJE, there is no proposal to release the caste data at this stage," he said.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomars stated that the Opposition parties Congress and TMC had "adopted an undemocratic attitude," when the demand for a discussion on agriculture was accepted in Rajya Sabha today. He accused the Congress party of not being able to "digest the fact that farmers are prospering with the new government policies."

"The attitude of Congress and TMC during the discussion in Rajya Sabha has dealt a major blow to democracy, and proves that there is nothing black in the new farm laws. Black can only be seen in the clothes of Opposition leaders," Tomar was quoted as saying by ANI.

Amid Opposition protests, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow, ANI reported.

Amid discussions over the Constitution 127th Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs raised the Pegasus snooping issue. According to PTI, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that countries like Israel, Hungary and France have ordered investigation into the issue of suspected snooping and asked why the Narendra Modi government is "afraid" of a debate on the matter.

TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay also raised the issue and proposed that the Lok Sabha hold a discussion on it on Wednesday.

In yet another disruption, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 4 pm amid Opposition uproar.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union minister Nityanand Rai said, "Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at national level."

However, Rai added that the government has decided to update the National Population Register (NPR) under the Citizenship Act, 1955, along with the first phase of Census 2021. He said the demographic and other particulars of each family and individual are to be updated or collected during the exercise of updating the NPR, PTI reported. "No document is to be collected during this exercise. However, due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the update of NPR and other related field activities have been postponed," Rai said.

Only two persons have purchased as many properties in Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated ending the special status given to the erstwhile state, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai’s written reply came in response to a question on whether many people from other states of the country have purchased and are also interested to buy properties in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the removal of Article 370.

“As per the information provided by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, two persons from outside Jammu and Kashmir have purchased two properties in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir since August, 2019,” he said. (PTI)

The Opposition leaders were seen wearing black armbands and black clothes in protest against the Centre, saying that the "voice of Opposition is being suppressed in the Parliament." The Opposition has been protesting over the Pegasus snooping allegations since the start of the Monsoon session and has accused the government of rushing through the bills without discussion.

Delhi | Leaders of opposition parties tie black armbands, wear black coloured clothes to protest against the Centre saying that the "voice of Opposition being suppressed in Parliament" pic.twitter.com/HaogWeuzX8

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2021

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2:32 PM amid opposition uproar over various issues, PTI reported.

Calling the Constitution 127th Amendment Bill a "historic legislation," Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar stated that the bill would benefit 671 castes in the country. Kumar said the bill will restore the states' rights to prepare their own lists of OBCs so that various communities can be given social and economic justice, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury extended his party's support to the bill but criticised the government for the 2018 amendment. "You tweaked the Constitution by bringing the 102 Constitution Amendment Bill in 2018 which gave people opportunity to go to the court and finally the Supreme Court removed the states' power," he said.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill requires a special majority for passage in the two Houses of Parliament.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the parliamentary affairs minister to submit the details of members who were not present in Rajya Sabha on Monday when voting for a statutory resolution moved by several opposition MPs was held, sources said. The statutory resolution demanded that the Tribunals Reforms Bill be send to the select committee of the House, however, it got negated.

Speaking at the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, Modi asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to submit the details of those who were not present in the house when the voting was held, sources said. (With PTI)

As it came into session for the second time on Tuesday, the upper house was adjourned till 2 pm. Opposition MPs reached the well of the house to raise slogans and protest against the concerned issues.

Lok Sabha on Tuesday took up The Constitution 127th Amendment Bill, 2021, for discussion and passing. The Bill amends the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order of 1950 and permits the Parliament to modify the list of notified STs in it. The Bill also aims to restore power to the states to identify backward classes.

During the BJP Parliamentary meet on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged more MPs to encourage participation in sports activities across the country. Modi also asked members to take note of the nationwide malnutrition and promote the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

As protests over the alleged Pegasus snooping issue continued, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Tuesday.

Minutes after it resumed its session on Tuesday, Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon as Opposition protests continued to echo in the house.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other MPs  on Tuesday arrived at the Parliament for BJP’s Parliamentary meet, ahead of today’s session.

Rajya Sabha will resume its session at 11 am on Tuesday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to move the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill in the house today.

A report on the “Atrocities and Crimes against Women and Children” and the government’s actions on it will also be presented in the Upper House.

Twenty-ninth report on ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana will be laid on the floor.

Lok Sabha is scheduled to resume its session on 11 am Tuesday. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will be moving the Assisted Reproductive Technology(Regulation) Bill, 2020.