The Lok Sabha was again disrupted on Tuesday over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegations against former premier Manmohan Singh, with Congress MPs shouting slogans and staging a walkout. In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue during Question Hour but the House was spared noisy scenes after the government extended an olive branch. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley conveyed the government’s willingness to hold talks on the matter with the Opposition. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, however, was stern when she bluntly told the sloganeering Congress MPs that she would not allow “something said on the road” to be discussed inside the House. As soon as the Lower House met, Congress members tried to raise the matter but Speaker Mahajan denied them permission and went ahead with the Question Hour. The agitated members then trooped to the Speaker’s podium raising slogans and demanding an apology from Modi. “All elections are over, the things that are said on the roads shall not come to Parliament… I am not allowing you to raise the issue,” Mahajan said. “Again and again I am requesting you, don’t disrupt the Question Hour. As per rules I cannot allow and I will not allow… If you don’t want the session to run, give it in writing,” she added amid the ruckus before adjourning the House till 12 noon. When the House met again, the Congress members continued their protest. Standing near the Speaker’s podium, Congress members appeared to be addressing the Chair, though their voices were not audible. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge also tried to speak but was denied permission. Congress then staged a walkout from the House. The House went ahead with the Zero Hour, with a few members also complaining about the ruckus. Before Mahajan adjourned the House for lunch, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar slammed the Congress. “Whatever the Congress did today is shameful and condemnable. They raised an issue and came to the Well of the House, which is wrong in itself. They also tried to run mock proceedings from the well. Kharge without permission tried to read out a whole speech. This is an insult of the Chair,” he said. “May God give them sense.” [caption id=“attachment_4267287” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Representational image. PTI[/caption] The Upper House, however, peacefully transacted all its listed business after the government invited the opposition parties to discuss a way out of the impasse. The Congress, which has been demanding Modi’s apology over the remarks, agreed to the idea after Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu held an informal meeting with the treasury and opposition leaders. “We will find a solution. We will certainly invite all my colleagues, including the Leader of Opposition, and discuss the issue,” said Jaitley, also the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. Jaitley’s assurance came after Azad raised the issue. “Levelling allegations during election campaign are not new but some are dangerous for the country and as well democracy. Such allegations have been levelled against a former Prime Minister, a former Vice President and others. Their dignity and loyalty have been questioned. The Prime Minister should come to the House and clarify. If anybody is found guilty, action should be taken,” Azad said. Naidu informed the House that he held an informal meeting of the leaders of the parties. “I hope the government will talk to opposition leaders and will find a solution.” He said Manmohan Singh met him and told him about the allegation made against him. After Jaitley’s assurance, the Congress leaders went back to their seats and the Question Hour went ahead. Modi, during the election campaign in Gujarat, had claimed that at a dinner meeting at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s house, the guests, including Manmohan Singh, discussed the Gujarat polls with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India and former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri. With inputs from IANS
Winter Session of Parliament updates: Lok Sabha passes forest amendment bill, adjourned till Thursday morning
The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will meet for the fourth day in the ongoing Winter Session of the Parliament on Wednesday.
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Ram Gopal Yadav, SP MP from Uttar Pradesh flags issue of passengers being drugged on trains
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal replies that action against such oganised gangs will be taken and if any member has information about it, they should come forward and inform the ministry. The ministry is also trying to bring in a network of CCTV surveillance on trains and stations, Goyal informed the Rajya House.
Tripura MP raises question of security reinforcements in railways in Rajya Sabha
Jhama Das Badiya, CPM MP from Tripura says her luggage was stolen from Rajdhani Express. There are thousands like her who go through this with no security reinforcement.
Break up of business addressed during Winter Session of Parliament
Jairam Ramesh, Viplove Thakur raise questions over MSP provided to farmers
Congress MP Viplove Thakur asks if Narendra Modi’s promise of paying 50 percent more than the MSP to the farmer is being fulfilled. Jairam Ramesh also asks how is the cost of production fixed for MSP, “What is the new system for fixing the cost of production?”
Lok Sabha records higher productivity than Rajya Sabha
Lok Sabha sat for 13 days, 61 hours during Parliament’s Winter Session
As per PRS Legislative , LS sat for 13 days, 61 hours with 78 percent productivity. Sixteen bills were introduced during this time in the Lok Sabha. Twelve bills were passed by the Lower House. Apart from this, 46 starred questions were answered orally during Question Hour.
Productivity during Question Hour in both Houses
Productivity during this Winter Session of Parliament
Narendra Modi attends Lok Sabha proceedings
Consumer Protection Bill, New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill introduced in Lok Sabha
Ram Vilas Paswan rose to withdraw the The Consumer Protection Bill, 2015. The Consumer Protection Bill and the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill have been introduced.
Extract from the Parliamentary panel chaired by TMC MP Derek O’Brien on rude staff behaviour, especially IndiGo
“The Committee observes that the problems affecting the airlines are not personal; it is institutional. An institution like Indigo has to develop a consumer friendly approach in dealing with their passengers. The Committee believes that being a leader in market share, Indigo needs to look inward and find out the reasons for the discourteous attitude and rude and indifferent behavior of their employees, whether it is their cabin crew or the ground staff. The Committee emphasizes that the arrogant behavior of employees should stop.”
WATCH: TMC MP Dinesh Trivedi earlier asked about the alternative medicine system
Retiring Rajya Sabha members give farewell speeches
Delhi MPs Janardan Dwivedi, Parvez Hashmi and Karan Singh. Congress MP Singh has made his farewell speech.
Arun Jaitley says Centre making effort to exceed farmer loan target in financial year 2018
List of business in the Lok Sabha for today:
Consumer Protection Bill
New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill
Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill.
Dentists (Amendment) Bill
National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill
Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill
Arun Jaitley responds to queries on MSP and fertiliser subsidy
“There are crops where the Centre fixes the minimum support price (MSP). Sometimes market rate falls below MSP and we resort to market intervention. Farmers are also being provided subsidy for fertilisers as well,” said Jaitley in Lok Sabha.
Agriculture sector needs support, says Arun Jaitley on farm loan waiver
Arun Jaitley says the agriculture sector needs support. “Both the central and state governemtns have been making efforts,” says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha.
BJP issues whip directing members to be present in both Houses today
Jammu and Kashmir MP Farooq Abdullah seeks govt response on short course for Ayurveda doctors
Farooq Abdullah asks if there could is a way the government could introduce a short MBBS course for Ayurveda practitioners to undertake.
NMC Bill could lead to more quacks, says BJD MP in Lok Sabha
Bayjayant J Panda, BJD MP from Odisha, says Medical Council of India is one of the most corrupt bodies in the country. He also says that with the introduction of the National Medical Commission Bill, 2017, there is a greater chance of quacks across the country.
Both Houses to be adjourned sine die post lunch
According to News18 , MPs from Opposition parties have been told that both houses will be adjourned sine die (with no appointed date for resumption) post lunch.
WATCH: Explainer on triple talaq bill
Parliamentary panel says behaviour of airline staff, especially Indigo, condescending
RECAP: Parliamentary panel discusses exorbitant airfares, rude behaviour by airline staff
The Committee on transport deliberated on the issue of exorbitant airfares charged during the festival seasons, holiday seasons, natural disasters and political/social unrest in Rajya Sabha, reported ANI . The Committee also noted there were many incidents of manhandling, discourteous and rude behavior by airlines staff.
RECAP: Report on issues related to improving consumer satisfaction of airlines tabled in Rajya Sabha
Triple talaq could most likely be taken up again in 2018 Budget Session
Various reports suggest that owing to the lack of numbers and consensus in the Rajya Sabha the ruling party will be forced to send the bill to a Select Committee of the House. And it would only be taken up again in the Budget Session in 2018.
RECAP: Triple talaq bill creates uproar in Rajya Sabha forcing House to be adjourned
The government tactically placed the bill in the bottom of priority in the list of business on Thursday, which the Opposition strongly objected to and demanded that its motions for referring the bill to a Select Committee be taken up first. The business list had the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill ahead of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017.
Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien pleaded helplessness on the ground that the listing of business was the government’s priority and decided to go ahead with the GST bill, triggering an Opposition uproar which finally forced him to adjourn the House for the day.
As per Friday’s list of business, the triple talaq bill has been slated second for discussion after the GST amendment bill.
With inputs from IANS
List of legislative business in Rajya Sabha for today:
Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill, 2017
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017
Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013
Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017
Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017
Appropriation (No. 5) Bill, 2017
Triple talaq bill flawed in its present form and fails Muslim women
The Bill provides for the maintenance of a wife divorced via instant triple talaq. It does not provide for the maintenance for a wife divorced via other forms of triple talaq. It also doesn’t provide maintenance for the wife divorced via any other means, notably when a Muslim woman is granted divorce by a court. The Bill also doesn’t invalidate the infamous Shah Bano law, which was passed by the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1986, denying alimony to divorced Muslim women.
The bulk of cases of instant triple talaq involve the lower income groups of Muslims, affecting families in which men are mechanics, labourers, tailors, and so on. In cases affecting them, the major problem is for the woman because she will be required to go to court to prove that the husband divorced her via instant triple talaq. In cases of oral instant triple talaq, it will be almost impossible for such a woman to prove any case against the husband, who will languish in jail before finally being acquitted.
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