Parliament highlights: TDP MPs demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh outside Parliament on Tuesday (Express Photo/Praveen Jain)
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day Tuesday without transacting any business. The three no-confidence motions against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, given by YSR Congress member Y V Subba Reddy and TDP MPs Thota Narasimham and Jayadev Galla, were not moved in the Lok Sabha.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, meanwhile, addressing the Rajya Sabha, confirmed that the 39 Indians who were abducted by the Islamic State terror group, have been killed. “Deep penetration radar confirmed that all Indians have been killed. Their bodies were exhumed,” she said. The men, from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, went missing in June 2014. The Indian government had previously believed they were lodged in a jail in Badush in northwest Mosul.
The Congress, Left Front, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the AIMIM have extended support to the TDP’s no-trust motion. AIADMK is yet to take a final call on its course of action. Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday told the House that the party is ready to discuss any issue, including the no-trust vote.
Several leaders have reacted to Sushma Swaraj's statement in Parliament on the deaths of 39 Indians in Iraq. The Congress has targeted the government for delaying the announcement, while the West Bengal and Punjab CMs have expressed shock and grief at the news. Here are all the reactions coming in on the news.
YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy gives notice to include no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha's list of business tomorrow.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumita Mahajan adjourns House for the day. "The country has never seen such a sorry state, this is not proper. You are insensitive for your own people," she is quoted as saying by ANI. "House is not in order and so no-confidence motion cannot be moved."
Sushma Swaraj addresses Lok Sabha on missing Indians in Iraq.
Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey outside Parliament this morning. The leader's son was among nine booked for rioting and inciting violence on Monday, two days after a procession of BJP, RSS and Bajrang Dal workers triggered communal clashes in Medini Chowk under Nathnagar police station, a Muslim-dominated area, in Bhagalpur.
(Express Photo/Praveen Jain)
Earlier this morning, members of YSR Congress Party met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan over their no-trust motion against the government, reports ANI.
Chairman Venkaiah Naidu has adjourned the Upper House for the day.
The Rajya Sabha is observing two minutes of silence as a mark of respect to the 39 Indians killed in Iraq by the Islamic State terror group.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addresses Rajya Sabha. She says the 39 Indians, who were abducted by the Islamic State in June 2014 in Iraq, have died. She says, "All the bodies were exhumed in Mosul - there were 39 of them and their DNAs were matched. Mortal remains were sent to Baghdad. For verification of bodies DNA samples of relatives were sent there, 4 state govts, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar were involved."
She adds, "Yesterday we got information that DNA samples of 38 people have matched and DNA of the 39th person has matched 70 per cent. General VK Singh will go to Iraq to bring back mortal remains of Indians killed in Iraq. The plane carrying mortal remains will first go to Amritsar, then to Patna and then to Kolkata. I'd like to thank the Iraqi authorities who helped us out despite challenges."
In hardly a few minutes, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourns House till 12 pm after chants of "we want justice".
Will the government opt for an early adjournment of the Budget session, given the continuous disruptions? BJP sources told The Indian Express indicated the session could be adjourned sine die this week. “What’s the point in continuing like this?” a BJP leader asked. The session is scheduled to conclude on April 6. Read more here.
Here is E P Unny's cartoon from The Indian Express today. Click here for more cartoons.
AIADMK and TDP members are protesting outside Parliament. While AIADMK MPs are demanding setting up of the Cauvery river management board, TDP is demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.
(Express Photo/Anil Sharma)
Ahead of today's session, Opposition members held a meeting and decided to meet Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu over disruptions in the House.
If the TDP's no-confidence motion is tabled in the Lok Sabha today, here are the parties likely to support it: Congress, CPI(M), TMC, NCP, and AIMIM. The AIADMK will decide once the motion is moved. BJP ally Shiv Sena, however, will abstain if it is put to vote.
The BJP, which has a comfortable majority in the House, is likely to remain unaffected by the motion. However, this will mark the first no-trust motion against the government.
AIADMK, which is the third largest party in the Lok Sabha, is yet to decide whether it will support TDP's no-trust motion. TDP on Monday alleged BJP was "orchestrating" the drama in the House, by making AIADMK and Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) MPs enter the Well. The motions were not taken up on Monday after the Speaker found that the House was not in order.
TDP MP Thota Narasimham says the party will give a no-confidence motion notice in the Lok Sabha today, and that members will also continue protesting in the House until their demands are met, reports ANI.
YSR Congress MP YV Subba Reddy, who brought the no-trust motion, says, "We request the Speaker to allow our no-confidence motion. As long as the budget session continues we will press for discussion to take place on no-confidence motion. Ruckus has been happening in the House for past 15 days but the Finance Bill was passed," reported ANI.
The Rajya Sabha was in session for only 10 minutes yesterday. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House after parties from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu trooped into the Well, raising slogans and disrupting proceedings. No business was transacted. Naidu was heard repeatedly asking members to allow the House to function. “This is not in the interest of the country, this is not in the interest of Parliament,” he said.
On Monday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the 11th consecutive day, after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan found the House was not in order. TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in a late-night teleconference with MPs, asked them to get no-confidence motions issued by other parties as well. "Be alert and react according to their moves. Ensure that MPs of other parties also attend the House. Get no-trust motion notices issued by other parties as well," He was quoted as saying by PTI.
BJP sources, meanwhile, said that in view of continuous disruptions, the government is likely to opt for early adjournment of Budget session. Senior party leaders indicated the session could be adjourned sine die this week. “What’s the point in continuing like this?” a BJP leader asked.
BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal said the party supports granting of special category status to AP, but is not in favour of the no-confidence motion.
DMK leader Stalin asked the Tamil Nadu government to support the no-trust motion called by CM Naidu. “Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu to put pressure on Central government has gone for no-confidence motion for the welfare of their state. I ask this (Tamil Nadu) Government to support TDP’s no-confidence motion,” he was quoted by ANI as saying.
Welcome to our live blog on Parliament proceedings. If either of the no-confidence motions are moved in the Lok Sabha today, it will be the first against the BJP-led government. Follow this space for all the latest developments through the day in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.