Parliament updates: Owaisi slams BJP over violence against Muslims, says India can't become $5 trillion economy if issue not addressed

India can't become $5 trillion economy if Muslims keep getting attacked, says Owaisi

In Lok Sabha, Asaduddin Owaisi said that the Narendra Modi government needs to keep a check on its 'Indian nationalism' ideology. "If every month, a Muslim will be attacked, how will India become a Rs 5-trillion economy by 2024? If you put a leash on Indian nationalism, mob lynching will be over," he said.

Azam Khan speaks on Vande Mataram row

In Lok Sabha, SP leader Azam Khan said, "1947 has been mentioned several times in the House. We have many aversions to Congress. But it cannot be said that development works were only undertaken in the past five years. We had the right to go to Pakistan but our elders decided that we had to stay in India. Nobody forced us to stay back. Now for people like us are being told that we don't deserve to stay here because we refuse to say Vande Mataram."

Manoj Jha's 'Hindu-Pakistan' remark in Rajya Sabha

Citing mob lynching and safety as key issues, RJD MP Manoj Jha quoted a shayari of famous poet Faiz Mohammad Faiz about religious intolerance and said 'we now wish to become Hindu-Pakistan'. "I feel we are copying Pakistan. We wish to become Pakistan, to become Hindu-Pakistan," he said.

LS, RS timings extended to discuss Motion of Thanks on president's address

The timing of Lok Sabha has been extended till 8 pm and Rajya Sabha till 7.10 pm today as Motion of Thanks on president's address is underway.

IUML MP slams Modi govt for lack of focus on Bihar encephalitis, other main issues

In Lok Sabha, IUML MP PK Kunhalikutty hit out at the Narendra Modi government, saying that was only presenting initiatives of the previous governments with different names. "You have not taken the country forward. Now after the election, the biggest talk is triple talaq. Is it not a matter of shame that you are making it the first proirity immediately after election? Now you're talking about 'one nation, one election'. The children are dying (in Bihar due to encephalitis), but there is no mention of that. There is no focus on any of the severe problems the country is facing."

BJD MP ​Prasanna Acharya demands increase in MSP for farmers

Demanding hike in the minimum support price for farmers, BJD MP ​Prasanna Acharya said, "Every year 15,000 farmers are committing suicide. Why? Unless we are going to give farmers the correct price for their produce, we won't be able to save the farmers of the country. Please raise the MSP rate."

BJP MP hits out at Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over comments against Modi

Hitting out at Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, BJP MP from Ahmedabad West Kirit Solanki said, "I condemn his (Chowdhury) comments. He also alleged that the Modi government was taking credit for the schemes of the past Congress-led government. Let me tell you, it is the Modi government which ensured that electricity reached the homes of the poor."

After row over 'gandi naali' remark, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury defends himself

"It is a misunderstanding, I didn't say 'naali'. If the prime minister is upset with it, I'm sorry. I had no intention to hurt him... My Hindi is not good; by saying naali, I meant channel," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

Ghulam Nabi Azad corners Centre on demonetisation, GST and violence against minorities

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in response to JP Nadda's address asking for Opposition's cooperation said that the ruling party's policies have 'hurt' the nation. Referring to the leaked NSSO report that pegged the country's unemployment at a 45-year high, Azad said not only were jobs scarce, but BJP was also practicing hate politics and violence against minorities.

JP Nadda asks Opposition to shed 'arrogance'

BJP ​Working President JP Nadda asked the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to do a rethink on its stance on various issues in the light of the massive mandate it has got in the Lok Sabha elections. He said that the rivals are still arrogant even after losing all their strength. "We should not disagree just for the sake of disagreeing. Opposition just for the sake of opposition is not good for democracy. We got the mandate despite your opposition and continuous disrupting of House in last four years," said Nadda.

Nadda in his address elaborated the outreach of various schemes floated by Narendra Modi government in the last year and highlighted its achievements.

'We will oppose BJP with all our might to protect secularism': TMC MP Saugata Roy

TMC MP Saugata Roy while opposing the Motion of Thanks to the President's address said that the party will "resist" BJP and "protect" secularism even if there is violence in West Bengal, or party members move to move to BJP. "We will resist you with all our might," Roy said.

TMC MP Saugata Roy claims EVMs were manipulated during Lok Sabha election

“There’s a doubt about (Lok Sabha) election results. How come one day before counting the then BJP president announced that the party will win 300 seats, and they won so. There’s a doubt that EVMs were manipulated,” Roy said in the Lok Sabha.

DMK MP from Sriperumbudur TR Baalu raises issue of water crisis, NEET exam suicides

Ballu said in Lok Sabha that, "Dozens and dozens of young people are being deprived of admission into medical colleges are committing suicide. It's high time the government comes forward to abolish the NEET exams."

He also raised the issue of Tamil language being made the official language in Tamil Nadu and touched upon the water scarcity being faced by the residents of Chennai.

Congress brought in Green and White Revolution, BJP has only renamed UPA's schemes: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury 

Taking a dig at Sarangi's comments asking Opposition to praise the Modi government, Chowdhury said that the BJP government is a "complimented addicted government" and likes to hoard compliments by "manipulating facts". "I want to remind them that it was Congress that brought about the developments like Green Revolution and White Revolution,” he said.

Chowdhury said Congress never aimed to hail and honour an individual's accomplishments but sought the development of the nation as a whole.

West Bengal Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury replies to Motion of Thanks on President's Address

Chowdhury made stinging remarks at the BJP government and Pratap Singh Sarangi's accusations at the Opposition, following which there was chaos in the Parliament and his comments were expunged from the record.

Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha presides over Question Hour, questions raised on defence budget

Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma asks if the defence minister will assure the House that the requirements of the armed forces for capital acquisition will be fully met to which Rajnath Singh reiterated that he will not compromise of the defence preparedness at any cost. To a question by DMK's TKS. Elangovan on modernisation of defence equipment, Rajanth said that necessary steps are being taken.

Pratap Chandra Sarangi says Opposition never praises accomplishments of Modi govt

Citing the failure of the Opposition in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, Sarangi said: "I remember former PM Vajpayee had praised former PM Indira Gandhi whenever she had done good work. This too is an intergral duty of the Opposition. But our current Opposition never does that - why, I wonder."

DMK MP raises issue of NEET exam in RS, says exam has deprived poor students 

The NEET exam has deprived students from economically weaker sections, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said in the Upper House. "The 6 lakh students who have passed the exams, have been successful because they have gone to coaching centres. Five students have committed suicide in Tamil Nadu because of their performance in the NEET exam," he said. Siva asked the government to expedite the process of bringing the two Bills, passed by Tamil Nadu seeking exemption of the state from NEET, in front of the President.

Pratap Chandra Sarangi presents Motion of Thanks to President's Address

BJP MP from Odisha Pratap Chandra Sarangi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Speaker for providing him, a first-timer, an opportunity to deliver this speech. Sarangi praised the prime minister's skill development and poor upliftment schemes, saying that Modi brought it to the backward areas of Odisha that he belongs from.

However, as he referred to various corruption scandals under the UPA rule and used terms such as 'Accidental Prime Minister', the Opposition raised strong Opposition to his words. Sarangi, though, continuing with his speech amid the loud slogans of the Opposition said that people reposed their faith in the BJP government and rejected the 'milawati' poilitics of the Opposition. 

Piyush Goyal presents Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal introduced The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019. He lay on table an explanatory statement showing reasons for immediate legislation by promulgation of the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019.

Ravi Shankar Prasad tables Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill in LS

IT and law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tabled the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Lok Sabha on Monday. It will replace an ordinance issued in March and proposes stiff penalties for violation of norms. The Bill also proposes giving a child an option to exit from the biometric ID programme on attaining 18 years of age.

Question Hour ends in Lok Sabha

Question on New Education Policy's three-language proposal sparks heated debate in Lok Sabha

BJP MP Pritam Munde asked questions on the New Education Policy including the possibility of inclusion of Urdu as the third language.  HRD Minister Ramesh Pokriyal responded to this saying that that the Kasturi Rangan Committee was constituted two years ago to discuss this proposal. All Indian languages will be respected because I believe that will strengthen our nation. Urdu, Tamil and every other language will be accorded full respect, he said.

However, a ruckus ensued in the Lok Sabha as AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi raised objection citing Pokhriyal's lack of awareness on the issue and him neglecting the fact that the question was directed on the specific issue of inclusion of Urdu as a provisional language. 

Kanimozhi raises concern over missing artifacts  

DMK MP Kanimozhi said that many idols in TN have been stolen, but since there is no record on what was available in the first place, the lists may be incomplete. "When the temples are reopened after many years, we are not able to understand what is available and what is not because of lack of record, what is the government during with regard to this," she asked in Lok Sabha. To this, MoS of Culture Prahlad Singh Patel responded saying that the temples have trusts which are under State governments, so they should have a record of it.

Questions on safety situation in Delhi, brain fever deaths in Muzaffarpur to be raised in zero hour in RS today

— Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Monday gave a zero hour notice in the Rajya Sabha over the spurt in crime rate in the city-state. This is the second time that the AAP leader has given a zero hour notice in the Upper House of Parliament in connection with the crime scene in the national capital.

— Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha will move a Calling Attention motion in Rajya Sabha over deaths of children in Muzaffarpur.

The Zero Hour refers to the time immediately following the Question Hour in both the Houses of Parliament. During this hour parliamentarians can raise matters of great importance without the mandatory prior ten days notice.

DMK to raise issue of Chennai water crisis, RJD to highlight encephalitis deaths in Bihar

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP, TR Baalu has given notice in Lok Sabha over water crisis in Tamil Nadu. Whereas, Rashtriya Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP, Manoj Jha will move a Calling Attention motion in Rajya Sabha over deaths of children in Muzaffarpur.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh has given a Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over increasing crime in the national capital. 

Ministers lay Paper and Questions on the table in both the Houses

In Lok Sabha, many questions pertaining to GST were answered by MoS Finance Anurag Thakur. In Rajya Sabha, the papers laid on table include 'Status of Unaccounted Income /Wealth both Inside and Outside the Country - A Critical Analysis (A Preliminary Report)' and 'Rationalisation of Creamy Layer in Employment for OBCs in Services and Posts under the control of Government of India including Union Territories, PSUs etc.'

Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to be introduced in Parliament today 

The Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will be introduced in the Parliament today. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved to introduce the Bill which will replace the Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 (12 of 2019).  

After the amendment of sub-section (v) of section 2 of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, a trust or any entity notified by the Central Government will be eligible to be considered for grant of permission to set up a unit in Special Economic Zones.

Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to allow 10% quota for economically weaker sections in J&K

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is aimed at replacing the ordinance to provide 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections in Jammu and Kashmir. The 10 percent reservation for economically weaker sections was introduced in rest of the country through the 103rd Constitution Amendment in January 2019.

Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to be introduced in LS

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is scheduled to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Whereas, the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is also likely to be introduced.

Home minister Amit Shah will table the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Amendment Bill, which had earlier been enforced as an ordinance. It provides for amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 to bring people living in the areas along the border within the ambit of reservation at par with people living in areas near the Actual Line of Control.