Parliament updates: Lok Sabha passes Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill; both Houses adjourned for the day

Lok Sabha passes amendments to the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill

After Minister of State for Law PP Choudhury responded to other MPs after they made their statements, amendments to the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, were passed.

Amendments moved in Lok Sabha despite sloganeering by MPs

Union minister PP Choudhury moved the Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018, in the Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to amend the act to uphold the rights of people with leprosy. If the bill is passed, five acts pertaining to marriage, adoption, divorce and maintenance will be amended.

The TMC, BJD and TRS supported the bill, while AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi opposed it, saying the State should stay away from Muslim personal laws.

JPC report on Citizenship Bill tabled in Lok Sabha amid din

A report by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan was tabled in Lok Sabha on Monday. The bill is expected to be discussed in the Lower House on Tuesday. The report was prepared by the JPC by a majority vote as Opposition members in the panel had objected to the provisions, saying Indian citizenship cannot be granted on the basis of religion and it is against the Constitution.

Some of the Opposition members have also given dissent notes over this. BJP allies, the Shiv Sena and the JD(U), have already said that they will also oppose the bill.

The bill seeks to amend Citizenship Act, 1955, to grant Indian nationality to people from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians —  from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they don’t possess any proper documents. This was an election promise of the BJP in 2014.

PTI

AIADMK, Congress and SP MPs continue to protest in Lok Sabha

MPs of the AIADMK, Congress and SP are raising slogans in the Lok Sabha, protesting against various issues — Congress demanding a JPC probe in the Rafale deal, SP against the CBI investigation in a mining case and the AIADMK against the construction of a dam on the Cauvery river.

Bills are being introduced in the House amid this din.

Winter Session may be extended

CNN-News18 quoted government sources as saying that the Centre was open to the idea of extending the Winter Session of Parliament by two days to move amendments.

#JustIn | Open to the idea of extending Parliament Session by two days to move the amendments: Govt Sources tell CNN-News18 pic.twitter.com/2AhqT5LC0R

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 7, 2019

Rajya Sabha reconvenes, adjourned in seconds amid sloganeering

Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha began, as did sloganeering. Samajwadi Party MPs protested against the CBI investigation against party chief Akhilesh Yadav in an illegal mining case. The deputy chairman adjourned the House till 11 am on Tuesday, the last day of the Winter Session.

Lok Sabha approves amendments to bill amid chaos

Amid the ruckus in the Lok Sabha, the House approved amendments made by the Rajya Sabha in the National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2.30 pm

Sloganeering is disrupting proceedings of the Lok Sabha once again. Chants of “Tote se gathbandhan bandh karo” and “CBI BJP ki tota hai” (stop collusion with parrot CBI and the CBI is BJP’s parrot) took over the House, after which the Speaker adjourned the House till 2.30 pm.

Bills being introduced in Rajya Sabha amid din

The National Commission for Homeopathy Bill and others have been introduced in Rajya Sabha amid major ruckus. MPs have trooped to the Well.

Govt owes HAL Rs 15,700 crore, claims RahulGandhi 

Rahul Gandhi pointed out that Nirmala Sitharaman claims they are helping HAL, but Dassault has received Rs 20,000 crore without even delivering a single Rafale aircraft, whereas the government owes HAL Rs 15,700 crore on completed projects.

DM @nsitharaman claims they are helping HAL, but Dassault has received ₹20,000Cr without even delivering the aircraft, whereas Govt owes HAL ₹15700Cr on completed projects: Congress President @RahulGandhi #SaveHAL pic.twitter.com/J6Fy4VqTAn

— Congress (@INCIndia) January 7, 2019

‘Nirmala Sitharaman is Narendra Modi’s spokesperson_’_

Rahul Gandhi said Nirmala Sitharaman was less of a defence minister and more a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry and Narendra Modi, questioning whether the ministry had objected to Modi’s interference in the Rafale deal.

Government is undermining the HAL, alleges Rahul Gandhi. 

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi asked why the government was not paying its dues to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Desh ke chowkidar Lok Sabha mein aane se darte hai. Give me 15 minutres with Modi. He won’t come (to Lok Sabha), because _chowkidar ne chori karayi hai (_the watchman stole from India).

Rahul Gandhi counters BJP’s charge

Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of lying in Lok Sabha. “She is yet to answer my questions. When I asked her a yes-no type question, she started a drama. I am not asking her to speak for hours.

“Sitharaman didn’t answer whether IAF objected to Modi’s interference. She didn’t answer on what basis Reliance Defence was given Rs 30,000.”

Ravi Shankar Prasad flays Rahul Gandhi over Rafale

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress’ opposition to the Rafale deal was just for show and the party was putting national security at risk by doing so. He also brought up the alleged role of the Congress and its high command in the AgustaWestland case.

Prasad claimed that it is now clear that middlemen were pushing the Congress to go for Eurocopters against the Rafale jets in 2011. “Rahul Gandhi can’t deny his relations with Christian Michel,” he said, referring to the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland case.

Zero Hour proceeds among sloganeering

The Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha is proceeding among sloganeering by MPs. Chants of “CBI ke saath gathbandhan bandh karo” can be heard the loudest, with MPs referring to the alleged collusion between the Centre and the agency.

‘Govt did not pay HAL for delivered products, but paid Dassault’

Stepping up the Congress’s attack on the Centre over HAL’s reported cash crunch, senior party leader Ahmed Patel on Monday alleged that the government had not paid the aerospace major for delivered products, but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products yet to be delivered.

The Congress and the BJP-led NDA government are involved in a war of words over the financial condition of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

“Very disturbing that Government has not paid HAL for products that have been delivered but paid foreign vendors like Dassault for products that are not yet delivered!,” Patel said in a tweet. “As a result HAL is a broke & is borrowing money to pay salaries. Is this Make in India? (sic),” he said.

PTI

BJP seeks judicial probe into Sabarimala violence

The BJP brought up the violence in Sabarimala over the entry of two women inside the temple last Wednesday. It also mentioned the attack on the House of BJP MP Muralidharan in Kannur during the protests, saying the CPM government in Kerala had caused this law and order situation.

Rahul Gandhi tweets on HAL again

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has tweeted: “That HAL doesn’t have enough cash to pay salaries, isn’t surprising. Anil Ambani has Rafale. He now needs HAL’s brilliant talent pool to deliver on his contracts. Without salaries, HAL’s best engineers & scientists will be forced to move to AA’s venture.”

That HAL doesn’t have enough cash to pay salaries, isn’t surprising.

Anil Ambani has Rafale. He now needs HAL’s brilliant talent pool to deliver on his contracts.

Without salaries, HAL’s best engineers & scientists will be forced to move to AA’s venture.#SaveHAL https://t.co/IaqgS3pyJ7

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 7, 2019

SP brings up CBI raids in Uttar Pradesh

The Samajawadi Party brought up the illegal sand mining case in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the Centre was misusing the CBI and attacking Akhilesh Yadav. “The CBI has become a parrot of the Centre,” a party MP said, adding that the CBI will not vote in 2019, the people of Uttar Pradesh and the country will.

Lok Sabha resumes, Mallikarjun Kharge replies to Sitharaman’s statement

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is replying to Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement on HAL in the Lok Sabha. He says the company is so cash-strapped that it’s unable to pay its employees. Kharge said incorrect statements should not be allowed to be made in the House. He also reads out a statement by HAL chief Madhavan in the House, saying that no order has been placed. 

He renews the Congress’ demand for a JPC investigation into the Rafale deal.

Speaker suspends four MPs

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended four MPs after they didn’t pay heed to her warning to return to their seats and allow the House to proceed. MPs KN Ramchandran, P Venugopal and KK Gopal of the AIADMK and Dr N Shivaprasad of the TDP had trooped to the Well to protest. They have been suspended from the Lok Sabha for two days.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 12.30 pm

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 12.30 pm amid protests by MPs over various issues. AIADMK MPs had trooped to the Well in protest against a dam on the Cauvery river. The House was adjourned soon after the Congress brought up the privilege motion against the defence minister, which the Speaker dismissed saying it was under her consideration.

Nirmala Sitharaman lists out orders given to HAL

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lists out orders for defence equipment granted to HAL. She said she had received confirmation from HAL that from 2014 to 2018, contracts worth Rs 26,570.80 crore had been signed and that orders worth approximately Rs 73,000 crore are in the pipeline. 

“I would like to set all records straight. The details of the orders with HAL are mentioned in the document. Doubts raised in this regard are incorrect and misleading,” she said.

Chants of ‘we want justice’ in Lok Sabha 

AIADMK MPs chant “we want justice” in the Lok Sbha. They have been demanding that the Centre revoke its permission to Karnataka to construct a dam across the Cauvery river, accusing the government of bias against Tamil Nadu.

‘This kind of dictatorship will not work’

“Many parties were against Rajiv Gandhi, too, but he never said cases will be filed against them. So why all this against the Mahagathbandhan,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said. “This kind of dictatorship will not work.”

#Update | Many parties were against Rajiv Gandhi too, but he never said cases will be filed against them. So, why all this against the Mahagathbandhan. This kind of dictatorship will not work: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress. | #RafalePolitics #BattleOf2019 pic.twitter.com/jt02rlTYqe

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 7, 2019

Modi govt only worked on using CBI, ED and IT dept

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said Narendra Modi, four and a half years ago, had spoken about employment, farmers’ issues and women security, but the government actually worked on how to use the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and I-T Department. He pointed out how the CBI conducted raids in an illegal sand mining case and is likely to summon SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, soon after the SP announced its alliance with the BSP in the Lok Sabha polls.

Azad also said that the Opposition has sought discussions on two issues. One motion was moved by SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav and another was by Congress leader Anand Sharma.

‘Country-made bombs were hurled at my house’

BJP MP V Muralidharan claimed that country-made bombs were hurled at his ancestral home at midnight during the violence in Kerala over two women entering the Sabarimala temple. “Fortunately nobody suffered injuries. This was an attempt at creating violence and provoking BJP workers to retaliate. The state government wants to make it a BJP vs CPM issue,” he said.

‘Situation in Kerala over Sabarimala unfortunate’

BJP MPs are protesting outside Parliament over the attack on MP Muralidharan during the Sabarimala protests. Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the way Muralidharan’s house was attacked in Kannur is “unacceptable”.

“The way they are treating the people of Kerala and people’s emotions is most unfortunate,” he said, blaming the CPM-led Kerala government for the situation in the state over the Sabarimala issue. 

#NewsAlert | #SabarimalaUproar outside Parliament | @Neethureghu with more details pic.twitter.com/9wZ96FRO1B

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 7, 2019

Defence minister to make statement on HAL in Lok Sabha

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will make a statement on HAL in the Lok Sabha today. On Sunday, Sitharaman had engaged in a Twitter war with Rahul Gandhi over contracts given to the company.

#NewsAlert | @nsitharaman to make statement on HAL in Lok Sabha today. | @Arunima24 with more details | #RafalePolitics pic.twitter.com/gU9tTLJO7q

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 7, 2019

Lok Sabha adjourned till noon

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till noon within minutes of the House convening amid protests by MPs over various issues.

Venkaiah Nadu adjourns House after protests

Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Nadu adjourned the House till 2 pm after protests by MPs.

Shiv Sena to oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the party will oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. He said Asom Gana Parishad leaders met Sena chief Uddhav and explained everything. “It’s not just a Hindu-Muslim thing. Assam has its own culture anddemography, and this bill will change that, which may create conditions for civil war.”

TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad dresses up as MGR

As Telugu Desam Party MPs protests in the Parliament premises, demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh, party leader Naramalli Sivaprasad has dressed up as former TN chief minister MG Ramachandran. He is known to turn up for protests at the Parliament in various getups, including those of a magician, a woman, a washerman and a school student, among others.

Delhi: Telugu Desam Party MP Naramalli Sivaprasad dressed up as former TN CM MG Ramachandran during TDP protest in parliament demanding 'Special Category Status' to Andhra Pradesh. He has earlier dressed up as a magician, a woman, a washerman & a school student among others. pic.twitter.com/RDbkTjS1NY

— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2019