Parliament LIVE updates: After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.
Parliament LIVE updates: After Anand Sharma raised the topic of the MHA authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept data on any computer and accused the government of infringing citizen privacy, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that Sharma and Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad should have gathered all the facts before raising the issue.
"What Anand said — every telephone and every computer will be monitored — that is not the case," he said, adding that the new law will only apply in matters of national security. Referring to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, the finance minister said that the laws have only been updated to keep up with technological advancements.
Accusing Sharma of "making a mountain where even a molehill does not exist", Jaitley concluded his statement by saying that Congress should not use its power to create a ruckus over an issue that was created during its own rule.
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the Lower House of Parliament shortly after proceedings resumed, and said that proceedings will resume at 11 am on 27 December. The recommendation for the Christmas holiday was made by MoS for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Meghwal.
Earlier in the session, she granted the MPs days off on 24 and 26 December in lieu of Christmas.
Lok Sabha MP Ram Vilas Paswan, along with his son and Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag, on Friday met with finance minister Arun Jaitley in his chambers in Parliament, ANI reported.
Ram Vilas Paswan had made a huge U-turn (having claimed earlier that he would prefer to drink poison than join hands with the BJP) and joined Modi's bandwagon ahead of the 2014 election. Reports have suggested that ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he may yet again switch sides, leaving the NDA bandwagon to ride on the Mahagathbandhan ship.
As per a report from The Hindu, The National Network of Sex Workers (NNSW) has written a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, appealing to him to send the Anti-Trafficking Bill, scheduled to be introduced in the Upper House, to a Select Committee.
The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, has not be taken up in the ongoing Winter Session because of disruptions over the Rafale deal as well as the Cauvery water issue. It was passed in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session.
As the Winter Session of Parliament gears up for its ninth working day, disruptions and adjournments are expected to continue in both Houses.
In the Lok Sabha, The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 is on the agenda. Health minister JP Nadda is scheduled to move that the Bill be taken into consideration. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, popularly known as the triple talaq Bill, was put on the agenda for 27 December after Mallikarjun Kharge requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for the same. "I give you a commitment that Congress party will participate in the discussion on the Bill," he said.
On Thursday, proceedings in the Lok Sabha were adjourned thrice as members from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sparred over the issue of building a dam on the Cauvery River and Congress leaders demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe on the Rafale fighter jet deal.
As the House met for the day, the proceedings barely lasted for 10 minutes and Mahajan adjourned the House till noon around 11.10 am. Not a minute went by since Mahajan took her seat before MPs began their protests in the Lok Sabha. BJP MPs were chanting "Rahul Gandhi maafi maango" and "Rahul Gandhi chor hai".
The Lok Sabha passed the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018, which enforces consumer rights, and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding defect in goods and deficiency in services. The Bill proposes to set up Consumer Redressal Commissions will be set up at the district, state and national levels for adjudicating consumer complaints. Appeals from the district and state commissions will be heard at the next level and from the national commission by the Supreme Court.
The Lower House also passed the National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day without transacting any business after ruckus in the House over the Rafale fighter jet deal and Cauvery river issue.
Soon after the House met for the day, slogan-shouting members of Tamil parties — AIADMK and DMK — trooped into the well of the House over the Cauvery issue. Opposition Congress members also shouted slogans and held placards seeking a probe by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the purchase of Rafale jets from France.
