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Budget Session of Parliament Updates: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for the day amid continuing protests from the Opposition MPs. Mahajan continued with business for the day and passed a string of amendments before adjourning the House. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha will reconvene at 2 pm. As the Lok Sabha resumed session at 12 pm, Opposition MPs continued to disrupt the Lower House with slogans of ‘We Want Justice’. Opposition MPs stormed the Well of the House even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan passed a string of amendments. Barely 15 minutes into Thursday’s Parliament session, both Houses adjourned the session following protests and ruckus in the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan was forced to adjourn the Lower House till 12 pm as Opposition party members stormed the Well. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu was forced to adjourn the House till 2 pm due to loud protests over former Union minister and TDP MP YS Chowdary’s remarks on why he resigned from the Council of Ministers of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government. Ahead of Thursday’s Parliament session, TDP MPs protested in front of the Gandhi statue in the premises demanding special category status to Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, AIADMK MPs also expressed their dissent over the delay in formation of the Cauvery Management Board by the Centre. The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament for the eighth day. The Finance Bill as well as the Appropriation Bill were passed in a matter of 25 minutes during which Opposition parties and ruling NDA ally TDP shouted slogans and created a din. The Lower House was adjourned for the day immediately thereafter. The Opposition parties protested against the passage of the budget without debate, as the session is slated to continue till 6 April. The Rajya Sabha, which was informed of the passage of the budget by the Lok Sabha at 2 pm, was also adjourned for the day within about three minutes thereafter. [caption id=“attachment_4378183” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Parliament. PTI[/caption] In the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved 21 amendments to the Bill containing taxation proposals for 2018-19, which were approved by voice vote. So was the Appropriation Bill which detailed spending plans for 99 government ministries and departments. With this, the parliamentary approval for the Modi government’s fifth and final budget was completed in the Lok Sabha, where the ruling BJP-led NDA enjoys absolute majority. Earlier this week, the BJP had issued a three-day whip to its members to be present in the House. As slogan-shouting began soon after the House assembled, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar’s proposal for advancing the time of the passage of the Finance and other bills, scheduled in the agenda at 5 pm, to noon. Thereafter she adjourned the House till 12 pm as members of the opposition and TDP and AIADMK raised slogans on various issues including against the passage of the budget without debate, the Rs 12,700 crore banking scam, special status to Andhra Pradesh and setting up of Cauvery Management Board for river water sharing by riparian states. Neither the Lok Sabha, nor the Rajya Sabha have transacted any substantial business in the past eight days since the second leg of the budget session began on 5 March. After passage of the finance and appropriation bills in the Lok Sabha, both these legislations have to go to Rajya Sabha for passage. However, since these are money bills, they would be considered approved, if the Upper House does not return them to the Lower House within 14 days. The Opposition has an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha. The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were also washed out for the eighth straight day on Wednesday, amid uproar by the Opposition and NDA partner TDP over the same issues. The House was adjourned till 2 pm soon after it had assembled for the day. The Chair called it a day after it reassembled at 2 pm as uproarious scenes continued. When the Upper House met at 2 pm, the Opposition members trooped into the Well raising slogans like “BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao” (remove BJP, save the country) and displaying placards. Amid the din, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, who was in the Chair, directed the Secretary General to read out a message from the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha Secretary General of the informed the House about the passage of the Finance Bill and the appropriation bills by the Lower House, amid din. As the noisy protests continued, Kurien thereafter adjourned the House for the day. Three of the Samajwadi Party members in the House - RS Tiwari, Chandrapal Singh Yadav and Neeraj Shekhar donned red caps as counting trends in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls showed their party candidates leading in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s constitutency. Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm due to the continued protests by the members of several parties. Before the adjournment, the House mourned the death of former member VPM Samy and Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist. It also expressed grief at the death of nine paramilitary personnel killed in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, as well as ten trekkers killed in a recent forest fire in Tamil Nadu. Soon after the listed papers were laid, several MPs trooped into the Well shouting slogans. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked them to return to their seats and allow the Zero Hour proceedings. “This is not the way,” he said, ordering that no part of the protest would either go on record or be shown on television. He then adjourned the House till 2 pm. With inputs from PTI
Parliament updates: Amid protests by Opposition MPs, Lok Sabha adjourned for the day; Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm
The Lok Sabha passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament for the eighth day
 "Parliament updates: Amid protests by Opposition MPs, Lok Sabha adjourned for the day; Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm")
Why did Congress not allow business to happen? asks Ananth Kumar
“From 5 March to 27 March, why did the Congress not allow business to happen?” said Union minister Ananth Kumar. “On 15 and 16 March, the YSRCP and TDP motions of no-confidence were brought up. Congress brought it up on 27 March? Why did they bring it up so late?” he added.
“Congress has become a marginal party, even in the Parliament,” he said. “They don’t have their own parliamentary strategy for both the Houses. They don’t have parliamentary logic,” he added.
BJP will protest against negative attitude of Congress: Ananth Kumar
BJP works for connecting people, Congress works for dividing people. Congress indulges in divisive, negative politics. It didn't let the House function. We'll sit in protest against the negative attitude of Congress during last 23 days: Ananth Kumar,Parliamentary Affairs Minister pic.twitter.com/T710ENwveX
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
Venkaiah Naidu reminds MPs of their duties
“I make an appeal to all of you to appear here next time to do what we were given to do at the time of Independence,” said Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.
Lok Sabha is a platform to raise issues for welfare of people: LS Speaker
“This Sabha is for a platform the raise issues for the welfare of the people. I understand that MPs have several issues they want to raise but they should keep in mind that the country has a variety of issues which need to be focused on,” said Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Ruckus in Lok Sabha
LS Speaker reminded the MPs that today was the last day of the second leg of the Budget Session, even though the MPs continued shouting.
Punjab Congress MPs protest in Parliament, demanding farm loan waiver
Punjab Congress MPs protest in Parliament premises demanding farm loan waiver. pic.twitter.com/Kjhg75H4sC
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
TDP MPs protest in Parliament demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs protest in Parliament premises demanding #SpecialStatus for #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/vJZRLRXphi
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
Karnataka Congress MPs protest in Parliament seeking constitution of Cauvery Management Board
Karnataka Congress MPs protest in Parliament premises against the constitution of #CauveryManagementBoard pic.twitter.com/zWHpVbRe6o
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
Karnataka Congress MPs protest in Parliament opposing constitution of Cauvery Management Board
Karnataka Congress MPs protest in Parliament premises against the constitution of #CauveryManagementBoard pic.twitter.com/zWHpVbRe6o
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
TDP MP Sivaprasad has consistently used different costumes as a sign of protest
TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad dresses up as Sage Vishvamitra to protest over the demand of special status for Andhra Pradesh. Sivaprasad has earlier dressed up as a woman, a washerman & a school boy among others #Delhi#BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/G8KfdBVwNs
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
Five YSRCP MPs to submit their resignation from Lok Sabha to Speaker
Both TDP and YSRCP heightened their protests today demanding special status of Andhra Pradesh. YSRCP, however, seems to have taken the lead in the Lok Sabha with five of its MPs likely to tender their resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, ANI said.
Five YSRCP MPs to submit their resignation from Lok Sabha to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. #SpecialStatus #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/2j5e7WclUA
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
Visuals from BJP parliamentary party meet
Delhi: Visuals from BJP Parliamentary Party Meeting. #BudgetSession pic.twitter.com/s6Uy7kck6s
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2018
(Updates begin for 6 April)
YSRCP MP PV Midhun Reddy submits resignation from Lok Sabha: ANI
PJ Kurien says he can move motion to expel members protesting in Rajya Sabha
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said that he has an alternative to deal with the protests in the Upper House. “As per rule. I will see that a motion is moved to expel all protesting members. Thereby, you will lose all your voting right,” he told the protesting MPs.
Kurien went on to read the rules of the Rajya Sabha. “You are all eligible for suspension,” he said.
Lok Sabha reconvenes, AIADMK members protests continue
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge urged Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to take up the no-confidence motion as the AIADMK continued protesting in the Lower House.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm
Both the Houses of the Parliament were adjourned within minutes of reconvening on Thursday amid protests by the Opposition parties.
Subramanian Swamy refuses to forego salary
Asserting that he attended the House proceedings daily, Subramanian Swamy said that it isn’t his fault if the Parliament didn’t function. “Anyhow, I’m the president’s representative. Until he says so, how can I say I’ll not take my salary?” ANI quoted him as saying.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul join Opposition protest in Parliament
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi have joined the Opposition protest in New Delhi against the Centre.
Congress had said on Wednesday that it would not mind if Parliament session was extended by a day or two, but a debate on key issues should take place. “We want to hold discussions on key issues of national importance and we also want to pass legislation. The government should take the lead in doing so. We are not averse even if the session is extended by a day or two,” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had told reporters.
Delhi: Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi join joint opposition protest in Parliament against the government over bank scam issue, farmer crisis, no-confidence motion, SC/ST Protection Act and disinvestment of Air India among other issues. pic.twitter.com/nrIDBCTmjl
— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2018
Opposition protests in Parliament premises over issues like farmer woes, SC/ST Protection Act
Leaders of several Opposition parties are holding a demonstration inside the Parliament premises over various issues.
Over a dozen Opposition parties had appealed to Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday for holding discussion on key matters like the SC/ST Act, PNB bank fraud, CBSE paper leak and Cauvery issue. Opposition leaders, including from the Congress, BSP, SP, DMK, NCP, TMC and the Left parties, had met in Parliament to discuss the lack of debate.
Delhi: Opposition parties protest in Parliament against the government over bank scam issue, farmer crisis, no-confidence motion, SC/ST Protection Act and disinvestment of Air India among other issues. pic.twitter.com/9nBUdQUS0G
— ANI (@ANI) April 5, 2018
BJP, NDA MPs won’t take 23-day salary
BJP and NDA party MPs announced on Wednesday night that they will take a pay cut for the 23 days wasted in the second phase of the Budget Session as they accused the Congress party of playing negative politics.
Announcing the decision, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said it has been decided that the NDA MPs would be giving up their salary and other allowances for 23 days “for which parliament was not allowed to function by the Congress”.
‘You deprived the Dalits’
As Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad blamed the government for not listening to demands of Dalits, BJP’s Vijay Goel said it was the Congress who was actually being “anti-Dalit”.
“Let’s have a discussion in the House over who is anti-Dalit. You ruled the country for so long and deprived the Dalits of their basic needs. We brought many Acts in favour of Dalits. You did not even give Bharat Ratna to Bhimrao Ambedkar,” Goel said.
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