Parliament Day 8 updates: Speaker agrees to postpone debate on triple talaq Bill till 27 Dec after Mallikarjun Kharge's request

Mallikarjun Kharge requests the Speaker to take triple talaq Bill on 27 December 

Leader of Congress party Mallikarjun Kharge urged that the triple talaq Bill should be taken up on 27 December. “I give you a commitment that Congress party will participate in the discussion on the Bill,” he said.

Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad said he respects Kharge and expects the Congress leader to assure the proceeding will be held peacefully. He also requested the members to take up the Bill in a peaceful and sanguine manner. Kharge reiterated his commitment after which the Speaker agreed to take the matter on 27 December.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asks MP NK Premchandran to move statutory resolution against triple talaq Bill 2018; Congress objects 

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asked MP NK Premchandran to move his statutory resolution against the triple talaq bill 2018. However, Leader of Congress Party objected to this.

Sloganeering drowns out Paswan’s reply on consumer protection Bill

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan responds to the questions raised by MPs during the debate. The sloganeering gets louder as the minister speaks. He says the Centre or the Bill will not take away the powers of the state governments. He said that existing consumer forum did not have punitive powers, so the new authority has quasi judicial powers.

What is the Bill about? 

The consumer protection Bill 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.

Congress and BJP chant slogans against each other

Even as the Lok Sabha debated the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018, Congress MPs were heard raising slogans against the government of Rafale deal. The MPs could be heard demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Rafale aircrafts deal. Meanwhile, some BJP MPs too started shouting back when the MPs named the prime minister and used unparliamentary language. The prime minister was also not present in the House.

Hand over power to appoint quasi-judicial body to states, says BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy 

Satpathy said that in favour of the federal structure of India, the Centre should relinquish control over the quasi-judicial body being set up to settle the consumer disputes. He objected to the “excessive powers being given to executives” to frame rules and regulation.  He also spoke against to “taking off” the powers of the states, thus destabilising the federal structure.

BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy says consumer protection Bill should have sunset clause

Biju Janata Dal MP Tathagata Satpathy said that the Indian Parliamentary system does not have a mechanism to study the post-implementation effects of any legislatins. He said that since the Consumer Protection Bill directly concerns the people, there should be a sunset clause for five years in this Bill after which it should come back to the Parliament for scrutiny and revision.

Pratima Mondol points out ambiguity in Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018 

Mondol said that the Centre has provided for setting up a quasi-judicial body to settle consumer dispute. She, however, pointed out that the Bill does not specify the constitution of this body and leaves it under complete control of the Centre.

AITC MP Pratima Mondal says Bill lets off celebrity endorsers of misleading adverts easily 

All India Trinamool Congress MP Pratima Mondol said that instead of giving teeth to the legislation on misleading adverts, the government has instead blunt it. She claimed that by insulating the celebrity endorsers from a jail term, the Centre has let them escape the responsibility. She said that who will decide whether the endorser took due diligence in finding out that the claims they promote were true to the best of their knowledge.

Ram Vilas Paswan says Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018 non-controversial, apolitical; urges members to pass it

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018 was a totally non-controversial bill and the members should not have any problems around it. He said that most of the suggestions given by the MPs were included in the bill, and added that any more suggestions coming in course of discussion today will also be considered with an open mind.

Ram Vilas Paswan introduces Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018

Introducing the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that the Bill will also deal with misleading adverts and consumer disputes. He said that that Bill has a provision for imposing a fine on businesses resorting to unfair trade and misleading advertisements.

AIADMK’s plea for adjournment motion rejected

Before the Speaker adjourned the House, she rejected AIADMK MP P Venugopal’s plea for an adjournment motion against the construction of a dam over the Cauvery river.

Transgender community protests at Karburgi district commissioner’s office

Members of the transgender community protest outside the office of the district commissioner in Kalaburagi against the transgender persons bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Lok Sabha Speaker meets leaders of parties to urge smooth functioning

Upset over repeated disruptions in the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday held a meeting with leaders of various political parties and emphasised that noise would not help solve anything. She said the image of the Lok Sabha has become one of disruptions only, sources said.

The Speaker, while appealing for smooth functioning of the House, said that by causing din, neither can anyone raise questions, nor can anyone listen, the sources added. To ensure smooth functioning of the House, a decision was made to have a meeting of the Rules Committee tomorrow.

Twenty leaders from various parties attended the meeting with the Speaker, including Leader of Opposition Congress Mallikarjun Kharge, BJP’s Anurag Thakur, AIADMK leader M Thambidurai, BJD’s B Mahtab, TMC’s Sudip Bandhyopadhyay, NCP’ s Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar.

The Speaker called the meeting as the Lok Sabha has not been able to function properly ever since the Winter Session began on 11 December because of pandemonium created by members of some parties over various issues.

ANI

Fate of two bills could be decided after Lok Sabha convenes at 2 pm

This week, two bills were passed by the Lok Sabha with little discussion amid protests by Opposition MPs — the transgender rights bill and the surrogacy bill. Today, the fate of two bills could be decided if the House is able to take them up. These are the triple talaq bill introduced by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Companies (Amendment) Bill  introduced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

AIADMK MP P Venugopal makes statement against Cauvery project

Venugopal highlights the harm the proposed project will do to farmers in Tamil Nadu. AIADMK and DMK leaders have been protesting against the dam being constructed over the river. He requested the Speaker’s permission to move an adjournment motion over this issue.

TDP MPs shout ‘we want justice’

After an initial lull, TDP MPs began their protests again demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh. They are shouting, “We want justice.” Amid the chaos, members lay their papers for discussion in the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha reconvenes

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan appeals to MPs to allow the House to function and members begin laying papers on the table. Almost immediately, sloganeering begins.

TDP continues protest at Parliament, with MP Siva Prasad in a different get-up again

YSRCP MPs also protest on Parliament premises demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh

YSRCP MPs also protest on Parliament premises demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh

Eight straight washout in Rajya Sabha

This was the eighth consecutive day that the Rajya Sabha was adjourned without discussion on listed matters, amid protests by Opposition MPs against the Rafale row and a project on the Cauvery river. There are 12 more days to go in the Winter Session of Parliament.

Venkaiah Naidu rules in favour of Vijay Goel, Congress displeased

Before adjourning the House for the day, the Rajya Sabha chairman issued a ruling on the matter of Union minister Vijay Goel mentioning Rahul Gandhi’s name in an allegation on the Rafale deal on Tuesday. Naidu held that Goel did not mention Rahul in his statement in the Rajya Sabha, after which Congress leader Anand Sharma rose to speak.

He said he accepts the chair’s ruling, but insisted that Rahul’s name was taken by someone when MPs were protesting in the House. 

Amid continued protests by Congress leaders, Naidu adjourned the Rajya Sabha for the day.

‘Entire country is agitated’: Venkaiah Naidu adjourns Rajya Sabha for the day

“The entire country is agitated by the way the House is functioning. There are issues to be discussed,” Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said before adjourning the House for the day.

This was after Congress leaders began to protest against his conclusion that Union minister Vijay Goel had not made any statement against Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday in Parliament. Congress MP Anand Sharma pointed out that BJP MPs had held placards and shouted slogans against Rahul Gandhi and visuals from the House were proof of that.

Uproar begins in Lok Sabha

Not a minute went by since Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took her seat before MPs began their protests in the Lok Sabha. BJP MPs are chanting “Rahul Gandhi maafi maango” and “Rahul Gandhi chor hai”.

TDP MPs protest demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh

Lok Sabha agenda

Besides triple talaq bill, The Companies (Amendment) Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha, while the Consumer Protection Bill and The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill are listed for discussion.

Rajya Sabha agenda

The bills listed for discussion in the Rajya Sabha are The National Council for Teacher Education (Amend) Bill, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (2nd Amendment) Bill, Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill and Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill.

TMC seeks discussion on unemployment

The All India Trinamool Congress has, once again, moved a notice under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha, seeking a discussion on the rising unemployment and lack of jobs for the youth in India.

Features of triple talaq bill

The Muslim Women (Protection of  Rights on Marriage) Bill makes the Islamic practice of instant divorce illegal and void, punishable by up to three years in prison for the husband.  If passed, the legislation will make triple talaq a penal offence. The Union Cabinet had cleared the triple talaq bill earlier this month.

This triple talaq bill will replace an earlier bill passed in the Lok Sabha and pending in the Rajya Sabha. In the Monsoon Session, the government had cleared a few amendments, including introducing a provision for bail, but it was still not passed in the Upper House, The Centre then issued an ordinance in September, incorporating the amendments.

Triple talaq bill listed in Lok Sabha

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has listed a revised Muslim Women (Protection of  Rights on Marriage) Bill for passing in the Lok Sabha. The government had been unable to pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha in the Monsoon Session as the Opposition said the bill is misconceived and in violation of articles 14 (equality before law) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution.

More ruckus expected in Parliament

The Winter Session of Parliament has been a near-washout amid protests by Opposition MPs over a variety of issues. The Congress has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the Rafale deal; AIADMK has been protesting against the Centre’s approval to Karnataka for a project over the Cauvery river and accusing the government of neglecting Tamil Nadu; and the Telugu Desam Party has been demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.