Top News LIVE: Union Minister Rajnath Singh has condemned the mob lynching incidents in the parliament. (Express photo by Praveen Jain)
The second day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament started on a stormy note on Thursday as the Opposition members staged a protest when Jayant Sinha started speaking in Lok Sabha. Sinha had landed himself into a controversy when he garlanded six men convicted of lynching a meat trader in Jharkhand. Also, the Opposition is expected to corner the government over the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2018 which will be introduced in Rajya Sabha. The government is seeking dilution in the law pertaining to disclosure of ranks, salaries, allowances and tenure of the Chief Information Commissioners and Information Commissioners of the Centre and states.
Other stories of the day are — in Greater Noida building collapse, rescue operations continue amid little hopes; IPL boss aide caught in alleged ‘sex for selection’ sting; Jio Institute projects Rs 100 crore revenue from student fee in first year; 14 killed, 16 injured as bus falls into a gorge near Suryadhar in Uttarakhand and more.
The Rajya Sabha is now Wi-Fi enabled, offering lawmakers of the Upper House access to the Internet for browsing government and Parliament websites, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said Thursday. Present rules allow MPs to carry mobile phones, laptops, and tabs inside the Rajya Sabha chamber but the devices were not connected to the Parliament Wi-Fi. Read more
Bodies of eight Maoists were recovered Thursday after an encounter on the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts in Bastar. Senior police officials said two INSAS rifles were among the weapons recovered, indicating that the Maoists involved in the exchange of fire were high-level cadre. Read more
In response to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi insisting that the Opposition would win the no-trust vote in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar Thursday said her mathematics is weak. Kumar added that the NDA would defeat the motion as the Modi government holds majority inside and outside Parliament. Read more
An investigation by The Indian Express shows that India has emerged as one of the biggest markets for a business in which over 300 publishers manage what are called “predatory journals” that claim to be international and publish papers for a listed “charge” or “fee” that ranges from $30-$1,800 per piece. Read more
Sonali Bendre talks about telling her son Ranveer about her cancer diagnosis and more. Read here
In its application to the government, Reliance Foundation’s proposed Jio Institute has projected earnings of Rs 100 crore from tuition and hostel fee to be paid by roughly 1,000 students in its first year of operation. Read more
Israel's parliament has approved a controversial legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Critics to the government believe the Bill would sideline minorities. Read more
At least 14 people were killed and 16 injured in a bus accident in Uttarakhand’s Tehri district Thursday morning. Local administration, police teams, fire department from Tehri and Disaster Response Team from Chamba immediately rushed to the spot. Read more
The Lok Sabha was adjourned following the walkout staged by the Opposition. The House will resume after 2:10 pm now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today blamed earlier governments, particularly then Congress President Sonia Gandhi, for not fulfilling the promise of electrifying all households by 2009. Read more
Justifying the Opposition's walkout from the Parliament on the second day of the Monsoon Session, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement on mob lynching wasn't satisfactory at all. 'This is not a game of 'ping-pong' that states and Centre keep shifting responsibilities,' news agency ANI quoted him as saying outside the Parliament.
Rajnath Singha addressed the House on lynching today, and ascribed the burden of keeping vigilance on such unlawful activities to the state governments. Read more
BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav took an alleged dig at the Congress on Thursday, saying that the main Opposition does not have any numbers in this country to pass the no-confidence motion in the Parliament. His comment was in response to Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi's claim yesterday that the Opposition has sufficient numbers to go ahead with the no-confidence motion against the government.
He also said that the BJP will see which regional parties come together with Congress as a B-team.
TDP President & Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu had written to all MPs of Opposition seeking support on the no-confidence motion against the government.
Congress stages walkout from Lok Sabha in protest to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement on mob lynching incidents.