A Bill to repeal the three contentious agricultural laws, against which farmers have been protesting for over a year, was passed in both Houses of the Parliament without any discussion on Monday.
In Lok Sabha on Monday, the Opposition came to the Well of the House demanding a debate on the Bill and raised slogans and banners. Speaker Om Birla said he was ready to allow discussion on the Bill provided the protesting MPs go back to their seats and there is order in the House.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking outside the Parliament ahead of the commencement of the Winter Session, said the government was ready to discuss and reply to queries about all issues. "The government is ready to debate any issue and answer any question. We should debate in Parliament and maintain the decorum of the proceedings," Modi said.
The Trinamool Congress neither attended the morning meeting of Opposition leaders convened by Kharge nor the one after the suspension of the 12 MPs though two among them are from the party.
Earlier in the day, Venkaiah Naidu referred to the incident of the last session. In his opening address, he said “bitter and unpleasant experiences” of the monsoon session “still continue to haunt most of us”.
“The treasury benches wanted a detailed inquiry into the conduct of some members during the final two days of the last turbulent session,” he said, adding that he had tried to reach out to leaders of various parties.
“Some of them made it clear that their members would not be a party to any such inquiry. Some leaders, however, expressed concern over the way the functioning of the House was derailed during the last session and condemned the unruly incidents,” Naidu said.
“On my part, I was expecting and waiting for the leading lights of this august House to take the lead in expressing their outrage over what had happened during the last session with assurances of introspection and spirited efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Such assurances by all concerned would have helped me in appropriately handling the matter. But unfortunately, it was not to be,” he said, referring to unruly scenes in the House on August 11 during the passage of the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill.
The Lok Sabha barely functioned on the second day of the Winter Session, as a few Opposition leaders demanded a discussion on farmers’ issues, but weren’t allowed the same. In the afternoon, barring a few members of TRS, almost all other Opposition members remained seated, but Speaker Om Birla, saying he can only hold discussions if the House is in order, adjourned it for the day.
At 3 pm, Birla was back in the Chair and gave Leader of Congress in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury the opportunity to speak, who accused the government of creating obstruction for the House to function. He said, “We don’t come to the House to snack, not to picnic, but to discuss, to raise the issues of the common people.”
“But it is the government’s duty. If the government doesn’t want (the House to function), what can we do? We wanted to have discussions on farm laws, to discuss MSP. But the government didn’t allow it. The fault is not ours, but is the government’s.” He was then cut short. Read more
Stating that educational content for students should be “free of biases”, a Parliamentary committee on education has called for a review of the manner in which Indian freedom fighters are portrayed in school history textbooks and recommended that “ancient wisdom and knowledge” from the Vedas should be incorporated within the school curriculum.
“There is a need for discussing and reviewing, with leading historians, the manner in which Indian freedom fighters, from various regions/parts of the country and their contributions get place in History textbooks. This will result in a more balanced and judicious perception of the Indian freedom struggle. This will go a long way in giving due and proper space to the freedom fighters hitherto unknown and oblivious in the freedom movement. Review of representation of community identity based history as of Sikh and Maratha history and others and their adequate incorporation in the textbooks will help in a more judicious perspective of their contribution,” stated the report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. read more
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Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar in a written reply to Rajya Sabha on Tuesday said the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) are deliberating and considering scientific evidence for the need and justification for booster dose against Covid-19.
The new Covid-19 variant Omicron has not been reported in India yet, Union Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya informed Parliament on Tuesday.
“The Omicron variant has been detected in 14 countries so far. There is no case of Omicron in India yet. We are immediately checking suspicious cases and conducting genome sequencing. We are also taking all possible precautions,” he said in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament. Read more
The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021, which seeks to bring clarity on when Supreme Court and high court judges are entitled to an additional quantum of pension or family pension on attaining a certain age, was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday by Law Minister Kiren Rijiju amid din by opposition over farmers' issues.
The Bill proposes to amend the High Court Judges (Salaries and Condition of Service) Act and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Condition of Service) Act.
The legislative intent behind insertion of section 17B and section 16B respectively in the two acts, earlier, was to provide benefit of additional quantum of pension to a retired judge from the first day of the month in which he completes the age specified in the first column of the scale and not from the first day of his entering the age specified therein as so interpreted by the high courts, the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill said. To clarify the matter further, an explanation is being inserted in the two laws, a government functionary explained. (PTI)
The Centre on Tuesday said as many as 40 civilians were killed and 72 were injured in terror-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir till this month in 2021. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said that a total of 348 security personnel and 195 civilians were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in last five years in terror-related incidents.
In 2021, till November 15, altogether 40 civilians were killed and 72 others were injured, he said in a written reply to a question. Rai said 40 civilians were killed in 2017, 39 each in 2018 and 2019 and 37 in 2020. (PTI)
On the second day of the Winter Session of Parliament, Opposition parties walked out of both the Houses, protesting against Chairman Venkaiah Naidu’s refusal to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs. In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition demanded a debate over farmers’ demands, such as a law for MSP (minimum support price).
“The government wants to threaten the Opposition and suppress their voice by suspending its members in Rajya Sabha. We cannot keep quiet about the suspension of our members in the Rajya Sabha,” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, said, adding that they will “oppose such dictatorial attitude of the government.”
In the Lower House, members of the TRS trooped into the Well demanding a law on MSP and compensation for the kin of farmers who lost their lives during their year-long agitation. Read more
TMC Derek O'Brien took to Twitter to state that from Wednesday onwards, the suspended MPs — comprising six of Congress, two each of Shiv Sena and TMC and one each from CPI and CPM — will be sitting in dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for the second day in the ongoing Winter session as protests by Opposition parties over farmer issues led to repeated adjournments on Tuesday.
Soon after a new member took oath and the Question Hour began, members of the TRS trooped into the Well demanding a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) as well as compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during the agitation against the farm laws.
TRS members shouted slogans and displayed placards standing in the Well of the House while other Opposition members, including from the Congress and Left parties, sought to raise certain issues from their seats.
After laying of papers by ministers and members, and introduction of The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill 2021 by Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. (PTI)
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on whether any step has been taken or proposed to be taken by the government to carve out a separate Vidarbha state out of Maharashtra, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, "No such proposal is under consideration with government."
"Creation of a new state has wide ramifications and has a direct bearing on the federal polity of our country. Government takes a decision on the matter of formation of new states after taking into consideration all relevant factors, and only when there is a broad consensus on the issue," he added, according to PTI.
The Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday held placards demanding a discussion over farmers' issues such as MSP.
In a written reply to the Parliament the Centre called the apprehensions of the governments of West Bengal and Punjab over a notification extending the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) in certain states, "ill-founded".
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai added that the move would result in better and more effective control on trans-border crimes in conjunction and cooperation with state police, PTI reported.
Lok Sabha proceedings have been adjourned for the day amid Opposition protests.
"As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, after abrogation of Article 370, a total of 1,678 migrants have returned to Kashmir for taking up the jobs under the Prime Minister's Development Package-2015," Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
He further said that the land of 150 applicants has been restored, adding that the government has taken various measures to restore ancestral properties to migrant Hindus. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection & Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997, District Magistrates (DMs) of concerned Districts in Jammu and Kashmir are the legal custodians of the immovable properties of migrants, who take suo motto action on eviction proceedings in cases of encroachment.
After the Opposition staged a walkout in the Upper House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the Chair, to discuss the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 on Wednesday as the government wants the opposition parties to participate in it.
"As far as I know, they (Opposition parties) have walked out for the day... if they are coming tomorrow we can take up this Bill tomorrow. We want to run the House with opposition and (through) discussion. Our party is the most democratic. Our leader is also very democratic," Joshi was quoted as saying by PTI.
Since the Dam Safety Bill, 2019, was the only legislative business in the afternoon, the deputy chairman adjourned the House for the day.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Tuesday stated, "Government of India has not enumerated caste-wise population, other than SCs and STs, in Census since Independence," in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
He was asked whether the government has formulated any scheme or policy for caste-based census, PTI reported. Rai said castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated in the decadal Census.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday informed Parliament that the Centre has issued no specific directions to banks asking them not to give loans to 'sensitive customers' like police personnel.
Sitharaman, during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, said there is no 'official stated policy' directing banks not to give loans to certain categories of customers. "Banks make assessments based on KYC and other ratings like civil ratings. I don't think any specific instructions are given to banks -- please be careful not to lend to these people," she said in the Upper House while responding to a supplementary queries.
However, banks do exercise a certain level of discretion based on their available KYC (know your customer), she added. (PTI)
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge will write to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu onver the suspension of 12 Opposition MPs. Earlier in the day, Naidu had rejected the request for the revocation of the suspension.
Following this, the Opposition leaders staged a walkout and boycotted the proceedings. The Upper House has been adjourned till tomorrow.
After the Opposition staged a walkout from the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has called a meeting of Floor Leaders of all parties to discuss and end the deadlock, ANI reported.
Lok Sabha proceedings have been adjourned till 3 pm amid Opposition protests over the government’s reluctance to debate farmers’ issues.
In a tweet, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that ahead of the Parliament session, the prime minister offered to debate ‘any issue’, and on the first day and on the first item of business, the farm bills were repealed without a debate. Read more
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow.
Earlier, the Opposition parties led by Congress had staged a walkout after the Chairman Venakaiah Naidu refused to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs.
Lok Sabha proceedings have been adjourned till 3 pm amid Opposition protests, PTI reported.
Earlier, the House proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm after the Opposition staged a walkout over the government’s reluctance to debate farmers’ issues.
Terming cryptocurrency as a “risky area,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today in Rajya Sabha said that they are yet to take calls on advertisements around cryptocurrency. The statement comes a day after she was quoted as saying in the Lok Sabha as saying that there was no proposal to recognise Bitcoin as a currency in the country. The Finance Minister also said that regulation of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) is being discussed by the Centre.
“This is a risky area and not in a complete regulatory framework. No decision was taken on banning its advertisements. Steps are taken to create awareness through RBI and SEBI. The government will soon introduce a Bill,” Sitharaman said during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Cryptocurrency during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, "This is a risky area and not in a complete regulatory framework. No decision was taken on banning its advisements. Steps are taken to create awareness through RBI & SEBI. Govt will soon introduce a Bill."
Till now, the Government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was notified on 12 December 2019 and it came into force from 10 January 2020. The persons covered under the CAA may apply for citizenship after the rules are notified under the CAA: Ministry of Home Affairs in a written reply in Lok Sabha
National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah raised the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir at the Parliament. "If normalcy is to be brought in Kashmir, then Article 370 has to be reinstated," he said.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Tuesday said the government should resolve the matter of suspension of 12 opposition Rajya Sabha MPs through talks and not adopt a hard stance on it. Twelve opposition MPs were on Monday suspended for the remainder of the Winter session of Parliament for their unruly behaviour and misconduct during the last day of the Monsoon session on August 11, after the government moved a motion in this regard. "The government should not adopt hard stance on the matter and should resolve the issue through talks. The matter is of last Parliament session and now Winter session is in progress," Mayawati told reporters when asked about the suspension. (PTI)
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday rejected the demand of Opposition parties to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs over “unruly behaviour” on August 11, following which most Opposition parties staged a walkout from the Upper House.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised the matter of the suspensions soon after reports of some standing committees were laid on the table. Kharge termed the suspensions as “gross violation of rules and procedure” and “violation of well established and time-honoured” parliamentary provisions.
Kharge alleged that the suspensions were done “selectively”.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Tuesday after the Opposition staged a walkout over the government’s reluctance to debate farmers’ issues.
The session was adjourned just 10 minutes after the House met. This is the second straight day that the Question Hour has been disrupted due to protests after the Winter session began on Monday.
Speaker Om Birla told the protesting members that they were not doing the right thing and urged them to discuss issues during the Question Hour. As the din continued, the proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm.
Opposition leaders are holding another meeting in the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, over the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi took to Twitter to say that the suspended MPs should apologize. "In order to maintain the dignity of the House, the government was forced to place this proposal of suspension before the House. But if these 12 MPs will apologize to the Speaker and the House for their misbehavior, then the government is also ready to consider their proposal positively with an open heart," he tweeted.
Opposition leaders protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament premises over suspension of 12 MPs.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "We have staged a walkout from Lok Sabha to support the 12 Opposition members of Rajya Sabha who have been suspended. The action of suspension from the current winter session points at a 'retrospective effect'. Why should an apology be issued?
Opposition MPs stage walkout from Rajya Sabha as well after House Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejects revocation of suspension of 12 MPs.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejects the request for the revocation of suspension of 12 MPs. Naidu says, "The Chairman of the Rajya is empowered to take action and also the House can take action."
Mallikaarjun Kharge tells Venkaiah Naidu, "We came to your office to request for revocation of the suspension of 12 MPs. The incident happened in the last Monsoon session. So, how can you take this decision now."
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2pm after Congress, DMK and National Conference stage walkout.
At the start of the session today, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said, "The bitter experience of the last Monsoon Session still continues to haunt most of us. I was expecting & waiting for the leading lights of the House to take lead in expressing outrage over what happened in the last Session."
After holding a meeting to chalk out strategy on attending the Winter Session of Parliament, Opposition parties including INC, DMK, Shiv Sena, NCP, CPM, CPI, RJD, IUML, MDMK, LJD, NC, RSP, TRS, Kerala Congress, VCK and AAP are now going to meet Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu over suspension of 12 MPs for the remaining part of the current Session.
Binoy Viswam, CPI MP, one of the 12 Rajya Sabha MPs suspended for the remaining part of the winter session for 'indiscipline' in the last session of the House, said, "We fought on the issue of bank privatisation, for Atmanirbhar Bharat...We will not apologise."
16 parties which attended the meeting today are: INC, DMK, Shiv Sena, NCP, CPM, CPI, RJD, IUML, MDMK, LJD, NC, RSP, TRS, Kerala Congress, VCK and AAP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal with other senior ministers is attending a meeting in Parliament House.
On the second day of winter session, a day after 12 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for their 'unruly behaviour during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Opposition leaders meet to discuss its strategy.
Government sources pointed out that soon after the end of the previous session, Union minister Piyush Goyal had written to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu complaining against the conduct of 20 MPs in the House, and seeking a special disciplinary committee to decide “exemplary disciplinary action” against them and formulate a code of conduct. However, a senior government source said, “many Opposition parties refused to be a part of it” even after the Chairman requested them. “If such a committee would have been formed, each party could have had a chance to explain their position and raise their concerns.”
Justifying the suspension of 12 Opposition members from the Rajya Sabha on the first day of the Winter Session, government sources said the Opposition leaders could have presented their side of the story had they agreed to be part of a committee to look into the events of August 11.
They also argued that since the events happened on the last day of the previous session, Monday was the first opportunity for the government to bring in a motion to suspend them. Sources also said should the suspended members apologise for their actions, the government might reconsider its stand.
The Trinamool Congress neither attended the morning meeting of Opposition leaders convened by Kharge nor the one after the suspension of the 12 MPs though two among them are from the party.
The Congress, sources said, did not reveal its mind immediately. Some Congress leaders said boycotting the session would be an extreme response.
“The government then will have a free run. We cannot vacate the space. We have to negotiate and arrive at a tactical truce,” a Congress leader said.
Sources said one proposal is for members to meet the Chairman in his chamber and express regret so that suspension can be revoked. But this has been strongly opposed by some of the suspended members.
With the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs deepening the political divide and threatening a washout of the entire winter session, backchannel talks were held between the government and the Opposition Monday to find an amicable resolution, but there was no immediate headway. Minutes after the suspension of the MPs, Opposition floor leaders met in the chamber of Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will move The Dam Safety Bill, 2019 in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The bill, already passed by Lok Sabha, provides surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dam for prevention of dam failure related disasters and to provide for institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju will on Tuesday move and introduce the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021 and health minister Mansukh Mandaviya will move and introduce The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 in LoK Sabha.
Hello and welcome to Parliament Winter Session 2021 Live blog. Today is the second day of Winter Session of Parliament. Opposition leaders will meet to discuss its strategy after the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs on Monday.