 "‘Make in India’ Rafales: MoD begins review of Rs 2 lakh crore fighter jet proposal")
 "Nari Shakti sets sail: 10 women officers from 3 forces on historic voyage around the world")
Parliament Latest updates: TMC MP Saugata Roy said that former defence minister Manohar Parrikar claimed that he was “in possession of all papers related to Rafale”. Ruckus followed in Lok Sabha after this statement. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha said that there can be no JPC on the Rafale issue. Congress MP Sushmita Deb is seen hurling paper airplanes at Arun Jaitley as he rebuts Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament. Interestingly, male MPs can be seen folding pieces of paper into airplanes and handing it to Deb to launch. Sonia Gandhi is seen patting Deb on her back after she flings her first paper plane in the air. Arun Jaitley accusing Rahul Gandhi of lying said, “The country is disappointed because every word the Congress lead speaker (Rahul Gandhi) has said is a lie on the word of the Supreme Court. When the apex court speaks on every issue, it is treated as the last word, except for the jurisdiction on certain issues in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi here says each of the contentions was raised before the court. There are some people who have a natural dislike for truth, from the first to the last word, every word spoken (by Gandhi) is a lie.” Rahul Gandhi named Anil Ambani on two previous occasions during his speech, however, the Speaker later said that since the said person is not a member of the House, he cannot be named on the floor of the House. Rahul retirted to this saying, “new rules madam? very well!”. The Speaker has ruled that neither the clip can be played in the House, nor can the Congress chief read out the transcript until he can give it in writing that the clip is verified. “Ok I won’t read it since you are so afraid of it,” Rahul tells the Speaker. Rahul Gandhi sought Speaker’s permission to play an audio clip wherein a Goa minister is allegedly heard quoting Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar that the latter has Rafale files in his bedroom. However, the Speaker denied him permission after Arun Jaitley stepped in. Rahul then sought to read the transcript of the purported statement. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is spearheading the party’s charge against the Modi government on alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal and is expected to demand a joint parliamentary committee probe into the contract signed by the NDA government with Dassault Aviation for procurement of 36 fighter jets after the Supreme Court refused to order a court-monitored probe. Rajya Sabha saw repeated adjournments amid sloganeering by AIADMK members and was adjourned to meet again at 2 pm. The AIADMK MPs are protesting against a proposed dam on the Cauvery river in Karnataka. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha is debating the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendmend) Bill, 2018 despite heavy sloganeering by AIADMK members in the House. With Congress claiming that it had proof that ex-defence minister Manohar Parrikar was holding the Modi goverment ransom over the Rafale issue, the party chose its president Rahul Gandhi to lead the attack in Lok Sabha today. Rahul will speak at 2 pm. He is expected to make a statement pointing out alleged irregularities in the defence deal, while demanding for an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Wednesday’s Parliament session is headed for a stormy start, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to debate the controversial Rafale deal and the Rajya Sabha expected to take up the triple talaq bill.. [caption id=“attachment_5817231” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image of Parliament of India. Reuters[/caption] On Monday, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad moved a motion in the House for referring the triple talaq bill to a select committee. The motion is likely to be taken up Wednesday, also the day when the House is scheduled o take up the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018. The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. In the motion, Azad has also proposed the names of 11 Opposition members to be part of the Select Committee of the House, including Anand Sharma of the Congress, Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party and Manoj Kumar Jha of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Opposition MPs have also given notices for amendments in the bill. AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said he had recommended four amendments in the clauses of the bill. Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, a fiery debate can be expected as the Congress has decided to accept Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s ‘challenge’ to debate on the Rafale issue. “Jaitley ji has thrown a challenge … we are ready for a debate on 2 January. Please decide a time,” Congress Leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said. Congress leader KC Venugopal and Sankar Prasad Datta of the Communist Party of India will raise the discussion on the issue under Rule 193. The Congress has been raising the matter in Parliament since the Winter Session of Parliament began on 11 December. They have been demanding an inquiry by a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Rafale deal.
Parliament updates: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day; Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspends AIADMK MPs for 5 sittings
Parliament LIVE updates: Congress MP Sushmita Deb is seen hurling paper airplanes at Arun Jaitley as he rebuts Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament. Interestingly, male MPs can be seen folding pieces of paper into airplanes and handing it to Deb to launch. Sonia Gandhi is seen patting Deb on her back after she flings her first paper plane in the air.
)
Papers thrown at Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker suspends some MPs for 5 sessions
As the Lok Sabha session resumed, papers were thrown at Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. She then began reading out the names of people who had disrupted the House session.
“You have come to the Well of the House and are obstructing the functioning of the House,” Mahajan said.
“All of them stand suspended for five consecutive sittings of the House,” she added.
Why was the number of Rafale aircraft reduced? asks NCP MP
“If this Rafale deal is cheaper, why was the number of aircraft reduced to 36 from 126?” Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik, NCP MP, said in Lok Sabha.
Govt not working for self-reliance, it is working for self and Reliance: CPM MP
“The government is not working for self-reliance. The government is working for self and Reliance,” CPM MP said in Lok Sabha.
PM not even present in House: TDP MP
“It is unfortunate that the prime minister is not responding on this issue. The prime minister is not even present in the House,” said a TDP MP in Lok Sabha.
“A joint select committee should be formed so that the role of the prime minister can be investigated,” he further said.
‘Why is government scared of JPC?’ asks Shiv Sena MP
Why is govt scared of JPC? asks Arvind Sawant in Lok Sabha
“The Supreme Court judgment never said there should not be a JPC. Why is this government scared of a JPC?” Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant said in Lok Sabha.
Why was HAL denied the deal despite saying it could manufacture Rafale? says Shiv Sena MP in Lok Sabha
“HAL had performed well. The former CMD had said that HAL could manufacture Rafale in India. Why was HAL denied this deal?” Arvind Sawant, Shiv Sena MP, said in the Lok Sabha.
“All the 36 Rafale aircraft will come in 2020. Why should we reduce the number of Rafale aircraft when it is the best?” Sawant said.
Qatar bought the same planes at a much cheaper price: BJD MP
“There are questions which arise about the pricing, irrespective of whether Supreme Court went into the pricing issue or not. Qatar has bought the same planes at a much cheaper price than India,” BJD MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said in Lok Sabha.
“All we seek is information. Nobody wants the deal to be scrapped. However, when the finance minister can state that the deal is 9 percent cheaper than the UPA level, where is the secret in pricing?” Deo said.
Arun Jaitley cherry-picked his arguments: BJD MP in Lok Sabha
“It is no secret that when UPA government was there, these planes were going to be acquired by the French. What Mr Jaitley did in his argument was something every good lawyer should do: he cherry-picked arguments to suit his side,” BJD MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said in Lok Sabha.
Key questions remain unanswered: Saugata Roy
“Some questions remain unanswered: Why Rs 1,670 crore instead of Rs 526 crore? Why 36 jets in place of 126 jets?” Saugata Roy said in Lok Sabha.
“The money trail goes up to Mumbai and Nagpur where Reliance Aerospace Defence is located,” Roy further said.
Why is Parrikar saying that he has Rafale papers? asks TMC MP
“(Manohar Parrikar) said that papers related to Rafale were in his bedroom. Why is he saying now, in a very sick state, that he is in possession of all papers related to Rafale?” TMC MP Saugata Roy said in Lok Sabha.
Ruckus followed in the Lower House after this statement.
We threw paper planes in Lok Sabha because they were talking about Bofors, AgustaWestland instead of Rafale: Congress MP
Narendra Modi hiding behind Arun Jaitley: Saugata Roy
“Narendra Modi is hiding behind Arun Jaitley,” TMC MP Saugata Roy said in the Lok Sabha. “The price negotiated at the time of UPA was Rs 526 crore. Why have 36 aircraft been bought for Rs 1,671 crore each?” he further said in the House.
“Why did a private company instead of HAL act as a private partner?” Roy said. “There is no doubt that Rafale is a good aircraft. It is a modern aircraft. If there was so much hurry, why did Narendra Modi allow purchase of aircraft on 11 April, 2015?” he added.
Jaitley_ji_ has lost his touch: Saugata Roy
“It is pathetic that NDA had to borrow a member from the Rajya Sabha to speak on the Rafale issue,” Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said in the Lok Sabha.
“Jaitley_ji_ has lost his touch,” Roy further said in the Lower House, adding that the defence minister was not speaking on the issue.
“Mamata Banerjee wants transparency in all defence issues. We will not indulge in finger-pointing,” he said.
There can be no JPC on Rafale issue: Arun Jaitley
“The JPC whitewashed the whole allegation of corruption in the Bofors scam,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in Lok Sabha.
“This JPC is being sought by those connected with the Bofors scam. Therefore, there can be no JPC in this transaction,” he added.
Rafale’s basic aircraft 9% cheaper than what UPA negotiated, claims Jaitley; old agreement lacked cost escalation pack
Arun Jaitley claimed on the floor of the House that the basic aircraft prices negotiated by the NDA are cheaper than what the UPA negotiated. However, the aircraft being delivered are much more advanced when it comes to the additional weaponry attached to it. He claimed that the UPA’s terms and negotiations were giving a timeline of 11 years which would have been pointless, given the urgent requirement flagged by air force.
He also claimed that the old negotiation lacked the escalation pact which regulates the rise in prices for the aircrafts which will be ordered later. He said the next order of aircrafts under UPA deal may have made Rafale even more expensive.
Congress understands only paisa, not national security, says Jaitley
Jaitley accuses the UPA government of playing with national security. “Rafale was essential for our forces. Defence deal conspirators are making charges,” he said. The Finance Minister said that ’the family’ only understands the language of money but does not value the matters of national security. Underlining the procedure followed in procuring the Rafale aircraft, Jaitley said, “Defence agreements are of two types, either through tenders or inter-governmental agreements. There were six bidders and ultimately Rafale was shortlisted. UPA postponed Rafale acquisition.”
Flying paper planes, chants of ‘maa beta chor hain’ in background of Rafale debate
While Congress MPs threw paperplanes in Lok Sabha to disruptr Jaitleys harsh rebuttal to Rahul’s charge, BJP members went for raucous applause side commentary and chants of maa beta chor hain as Congerss president went ahead with his speech.
Rahul Gandhi attacked Narendra Modi saying that the prime minister does not have the guts to face Parliament and was hiding behind closed doors. The BJP’s comeback was that Rahul Gandhi does not understand Parliamentary rules and basics of combat aircrafts. The debate in Lok Sabha today was more about personal attacks than the issue at hand.
Flying paper planes, chants of ‘maa beta chor hain’ in background of Rafale debate
Congress MP Sushmita Deb is seen hurling paper airplanes at Arun Jaitley as he rebuts Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament. Interestingly, male MPs can be seen folding pieces of paper into airplanes and handing it to Deb to launch. Sonia Gandhi is seen patting Deb on her back after she flings her first paper plane in the air.
Arun Jaitley says Rahul Gandhi lied blatantly in House
Arun Jaitley accusing Rahul Gandhi of lying said, “The country is disappointed because every word the Congress lead speaker (Rahul Gandhi) has said is a lie on the word of the Supreme Court. When the apex court speaks on every issue, it is treated as the last word, except for the jurisdiction on certain issues in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi here says each of the contentions was raised before the court. There are some people who have a natural dislike for truth, from the first to the last word, every word spoken (by Gandhi) is a lie.”
“On the last occasion, he (Rahul Gandhi) manufactured a conversation between him and the former French President. Today, he repeats the same. Today, he tried to produce a tap but he is too scared to authenticate it,” Jaitley said.
Congress chief has no understanding of aircraft, says Arun Jaitley
Arun Jaitley, responding to Rahul Gandhi’s statement in the Lok Sabha, said, “Rahul Gandhi’s argument of Rs 500 crore vs Rs 1600 crore is highly simplistic and Rahul Gandhi does not understand what a combat aircraft is. This family only understand the language of paisa and not of national security”
Rahul Gandhi has unprecedented dislike for truth: Arun Jaitley
“On the last occasion, he (Rahul Gandhi) manufactured a conversation between him and the former French President. Today, he repeats the same. Today, he tried to produce a tap but he is too scared to authenticate it,” Jaitley said.
‘Lead speaker of Congress party disappointed us,’ Arun Jaitley defends govt on Rafale issue
“When the Congress party said that they wanted to take up Rafale issue once again, we assumed they would have something substantive to say. But the lead speaker of the Congress has disappointed us,” Jaitley said.
PM does not have the guts to come to Parliament and face questions on Rafale, says Rahul Gandhi
“It is very clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have the guts to come to Parliament and confront the questions on Rafale. He is hiding in his room and has left the defence minister here to defend a deal she was not even a part of,” Rahul said.
Speaker stops Rahul from naming Anil Ambani, cites rule
Rahul Gandhi named Anil Ambani on two previous occasions during his speech, however, the Speaker later said that since the said person is not a member of the House, he cannot be named on the floor of the House. Rahul retirted to this saying, “new rules madam? very well!”.
‘This man lies continuously,’ Jaitley slams Rahul Gandhi on purported clip about Parrikar
After Rahul sought to read the transcript of an alleged conversation between Goa minister Vishwajit Rane and an unknown person, Arun Jaitley intervened and said, “This man lies continuously. Earlier, he presented an entirely fabricated conversation between himself and a French politician, now he is lying about this tape.”
If you are so sure then authenticate this clip in writing and face expulsion from House if you are proved wrong. You are afraid because it is fabricated," Jaitley said.
Can’t read or play unverified recording, rules Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
The Speaker has ruled that neither the clip can be played in the House, nor can the Congress chief read out the transcript until he can give it in writing that the clip is verified.
“Ok I won’t read it since you are so afraid of it,” Rahul tells the Speaker.
Rahul Gandhi seeks permission to play ‘Parrikar tape’; Speaker denies permission, Congress chief seeks to read the transcript
Rahul Gandhi sought Speaker’s permission to play an audio clip wherein a Goa minister is allegedly heard quoting Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar that the latter has Rafale files in his bedroom. However, the Speaker denied him permission after Arun Jaitley stepped in. Rahul then sought to read the transcript of the purported statement.
Rahul Gandhi leads Opposition’s charge on Rafale in LS
Congress president Rahul Gandhi is spearheading the party’s charge against the Modi government on alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal and is expected to demand a joint parliamentary committee probe into the contract signed by the NDA government with Dassault Aviation for procurement of 36 fighter jets after the Supreme Court refused to order a court-monitored probe.
Rahul Gandhi asks three questions to Modi
There are three pillars of the Rafale deal," he said. " The first pillar is the process, the second is pricing and the third pillar, which is also perhaps the most interesting one, is of paisa patronage."
‘PM Modi couldn’t answer questions on Rafale even in a staged interview’
Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that nobody was accusing him of wrong doing on Rafale. This is untrue. The entire nation is asking a direct question on Rafale but the prime minister could not answer a straight question even in a one-hour-long ‘staged interview.’
Rahul Gandhi starts discussion on Rafale issue amid din
Congress president Rahul Gandhi initiated the debate on the Rafale issue under Rule 193 in the Parliament. He said that it was a tragedy that the MPs from AIADMK were not letting the House to protect the prime minister.
Rajya Sabha reconvenes on stormy note
Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that the House was scheduled to discuss a matter relating to Jammu and Kashmir. However, because of the member’s demands, I have called the concerned minister to make a statement on the Cauvery issue. However, AIADMK and DMK MPs stormed to the Well and continued shouting slogans.
Meanwhile, VHP pressures govt to bring ordinance on Ram Mandir
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad indicated today that it was not happy with the prime minister’s statement that an ordinance to build the Ram temple will only be brought after the Supreme Court reaches a conclusion. VHP spokesperson Alok Kumar said that the organisation has met over 350 MPs, and have put in requests for appointment with UPA chair Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to request them to push for the construction of Ram Temple.