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Parliament LATEST Updates: Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan says that under the leadership of the prime minister, citizens, religious organisations, health workers and others have been fighting against the pandemic for the past nine months and lists the measures taken by the Centre. In a press briefing, the defence minister said that attempts were being made to mislead farmers adding that he was ‘hurt’ due to the tearing of the rule book and breaking of microphones earlier in the day in the Rajya Sabha. The NCP MP asked the Centre that if India is not in community transmission phase then why are we reporting nearly one lakh cases every day During the discussion on COVID-19 in the Lok Sabha, the Shiv Sena MP lashed out at the government for announcing the lockdown with just four hours lockdown and also brought up the issue of the deaths of migrants workers. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal asked President Ram Nath Kovind to send the bills back to Parliament and urged him to ‘stand by’ farmers, mandi labourers, mazdoors and Dalits.
The Congress MP highlighted that India was reporting the highest number of daily coronavirus cases and deaths and said that the economy was in tatters.
Congress’ Manish Tewari pointed out that the FCRA has been used against the government’s detractors while TMC’s Sougata Roy said that there was a need to deregulate foreign contributions and not over regulate. During the period in which the Upper House was shortly adjourned, Derek O’Brien tweeted a video from the central hall of the Parliament saying, ‘They cheated. They broke every rule in Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn’t see.’ Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 passed amidst Opposition protests. Deputy Chairman Harivansh asks if the House agrees to extend proceedings from 1 pm till the disposal of the Bills. Shouting continues. Deputy Chairman asks members who have come out from their seats to the well to return ‘Working group on agriculture production set up by Manmohan Singh government in 2010 recommended that APMC and corporate license monopolies should not be allowed,’ BJP MP Bhupender Yadav asks Congress in Upper House. Opposing the Agriculture Bills tabled by Narendra Singh Tomar, Congress MPPartap Singh Bajwa said that these Bills are ill-conceived and ill-timed and the Congress opposes it. ‘We will not sign on this death warrant of farmers,’ he said. The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Haryana unit will hold a statewide protest against the Centre’s farm bills on Sunday during which they will block roads for three hours, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed for deferring the stir and invited them for talks Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the contentious farm bills on Sunday with the Congress and many opposition parties trying to put a united front to oppose these proposed legislations terming them as anti-farmer and pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also reaching out to several regional outfits for support. The numbers, however, appear to be in favour of the ruling dispensation to get these bills passed from Rajya Sabha, while the lower house has already cleared them despite a key NDA member Shiromani Akali Dal vehemently opposing them. Some key BJP leaders are said to be in touch with various non-Congress opposition parties to seek support from their Rajya Sabha members for these bills. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government. BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK and six of the YSR Congress – both of whom are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills. Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was also being wooed by the BJP, but its chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party MPs to vote against these bills, alleging these would cause great injustice to farmers in the country. The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress. The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed its support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha. Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the opposition’s ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’’s forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press on to get Parliament’’s nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce. His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the SAD coming out strongly against these bills, calling them “anti-farmers”. Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have. A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislation suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them. There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together. Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks. The Farmers’’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday. These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government. With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as “anti-farmers” and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as “historic” and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price. A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels “saddened” that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations. The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of ‘‘mandis’’. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment. However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as “anti-farmers”, claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation. At a meeting of the business advisory committee of Lok Sabha, which has floor leaders of all parties besides the government representatives and is chaired by the Speaker, most political parties favoured curtailment of the session, which started on September 14 and was scheduled to conclude on 1 October. A final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Parliament Proceedings on Saturday On Saturday, the Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Amendment Bill after a detailed debate in which allegations of corruption flew across Opposition and Treasury benches. The Lower House also passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in an extended session. The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, passed by the Lok Sabha includes extending deadlines for filing returns and for linking PAN and Aadhaar as well as allows for donations made to the PM CARES Fund to claim 100 percent deduction in taxable income. The Bill will replace the ordinance promulgated by the Centre in March. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha passed two bills — the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, and the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill. Additionally, MoS Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha — The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and The Code On Social Security, 2020.
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