Monsoon Session LIVE: Rahul Gandhi Likely to Lead Congress Charge During No-confidence Motion Tomorrow

Changes will make RTI Act useless: Rahul | Congress President Rahul Gandhi today attacked the BJP government over proposed changes to the Right to Information Act, saying they will render the law useless. The proposed amendments, circulated among Members of Parliament, seeking to do away with the parity given to information commissions with the Election Commission in terms of salary, allowances and conditions of service.  Every Indian deserves to know the truth and the BJP wants to hide the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act, Gandhi said on Twitter. He added that the changes being suggested must be opposed by every Indian.

Every Indian has the right to know the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act. They must be opposed by every Indian. #SaveRTI pic.twitter.com/4mjBTwQnYK

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 19, 2018

The government on Wednesday said it is considering a proposal to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 to frame rules on salaries and services of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs). A notice of intention was given to introduce 'The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018' in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage during the current session of Parliament, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha on Wednesday Leaders of various political parties yesterday said they have committed to fight any "attempt" by the Centre to "dilute" the act and oppose any amendments to it.

Chandrababu Naidu appeals MPs, States to support No-Confidence Motion | Telugu Desam Party President & Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu writes a letter to all MPs, states 'In view of the continued adamant attitude of BJP led NDA Govt, TDP has moved No Confidence Motion against them. I appeal to you to support the motion moved by our MPs.' As a former NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party is well aware that barring any major twist in the next couple of days, the no-confidence motion it moved in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday is unlikely to endanger the Narendra Modi government. Kesineni Srinivas, the TDP parliamentarian who moved the motion, told News18 that the trust vote is less about testing the strength of the BJP government and more about bringing to the fore its failures. 

Shatrughan Sinha to Vote Against No-confidence motion | Bharatiya Janata Party MP Shatrughan Sinha has decided to vote against the No-confidence motion. The Lok Sabha will on Friday debate and vote on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government - the first since the BJP-led NDA came to power four years ago - after the Speaker admitted their notices. The no-trust motion in Parliament that was moved and accepted by Speaker Mahajan for the first time in 15 years, however, does not pose a threat to the government as the NDA enjoys a comfortable majority.  (reports ANI)

Ahead of no-trust vote, Speaker accepts resignation of Jay Panda | The effective strength of Lok Sabha has reduced to 533 with two more seats falling vacant, sources in Parliament told PTI today, after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda's resignation and Jose K Mani of Kerala Congress (M) was nominated to Rajya Sabha.  Mani quit the lower house after being nominated to Rajya Sabha. The developments come as Parliament is set to take up on Friday the Opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. Ten seats are lying vacant and therefore the majority mark in the house now stands at 266. Panda, who represented the Kendrapara constituency in Odisha, had resigned on June 12. He met Mahajan on Wednesday and requested her to accept his resignation. Later he tweeted about his meeting with the Speaker. In January this year, the parliamentarian was suspended from the Biju Janata Dal for alleged anti-party activities.

Congress leaders were seen protesting within the premises of Parliament, demanding rights for farmers

Congress MPs protest in Parliament premises, demanding rights for farmers. #MonsoonSession pic.twitter.com/oXqAEA81OF

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2018

Rahul to address LS Tomorrow During Trust-Vote | Congress President Rahul Gandhi is likely to address Parliament tomorrow during trust vote. Apart from Rahul, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and one more member will address the House. A no-confidence motion was on Wednesday moved against the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha and both the TDP and the opposition have expressed confidence that they can muster up the required numbers. While the odds seem to be stacked against the opposition, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi refuted claims that the motion was just a pressure tactic. “Who says we don’t have the numbers,” she shot back when asked about it. The motion that was moved at the insistence of former NDA ally Telugu Desam Party will be put to vote on Friday and the BJP believes that the government will get the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

The motion that was moved at the insistence of former NDA ally Telugu Desam Party will be put to vote on Friday and the BJP believes that the government will get the support of as many as 314 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

A TDP delegation led by Parliamentary Party leader YS Chowdary met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at his residence, earlier on Monday. They have handed over Andhra Pradesh CM N.Chandrababu Naidu’s letter seeking cooperation and support for TDP’s demand for Andhra. A no-confidence motion was on Wednesday moved against the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha and both the TDP and the opposition have expressed confidence that they can muster up the required numbers. While the odds seem to be stacked against the opposition, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi refuted claims that the motion was just a pressure tactic. “Who says we don’t have the numbers,” she shot back when asked about it. 

A TDP delegation led by Parliamentary Party leader YS Chowdary met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal at his residence, earlier today. They have handed over Andhra Pradesh CM N.Chandrababu Naidu’s letter seeking cooperation and support for TDP’s demand for Andhra. pic.twitter.com/zGfKq6ptc3

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2018

Sonia's maths is week: Ananth Kumar | Reacting to Sonia Gandhi's claims that who says we don’t have the numbers, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said "Sonia ji's maths is weak. They had calculated similarly in 1996. We know what happened then. Their calculation is wrong yet again. Modi govt has majority both inside & outside Parliament. NDA will vote against NoConfidence Motion." (reports ANI)

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Trust Vote | "In democracy, voice of the Opposition should be heard first even if it consists of one person. Even we (Shiv Sena) will speak when it is required. During voting, whatever Uddav Thakachey directs us, we will do." (reports ANI)

Congress has given adjournment notice in Lok Sabha over the issue of mob lynching.

TDP singled out as opposition parties show keenness for RS to function | The TDP, which was at the forefront of disrupting the Rajya Sabha during the last session Parliament, got singled out on the first day of the Monsoon Session as other opposition parties expressed their keen desire to allow the House to function. The TDP's predicament became evident today during a meeting of leaders called by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu in his chamber. The meeting was held soon after Naidu adjourned the House when TDP members Y S Chowdary and C M Ramesh insisted on taking up their notice for discussion on implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act. Sources said that in the meeting, several opposition leaders expressed concern over the non- functioning of the House in the last two sessions, the "devaluation of legislators" and other opposition parties missing out on cornering the government over various issues of concern to them.

TDP MP threatens to Skip Trust Vote | The Narendra Modi government is gearing up to face its first no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha during the last year of its office. The motion was moved by TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas. One of TDP's lawmakers has no0w threatened to skip Parliament during the no-confidence vote. JC Diwakar Reddy says he is "fed up" with the Centre and his party's government in Andhra Pradesh. "I'm not going to attend Parliament session, you can say that I violated the party whip. I'm fed up with the centre & our TDP govt. I'm fed up with the whole political system: JC Diwakar Reddy, TDP MP told news agency ANI.

So even if the BJP clears the trust vote, it would be a margin that would surely be less than its 2014 victory. That is, perhaps, where the opposition will draw solace from.

The party had also moved a motion in the previous session but it was blocked by the Speaker and 13 days were lost as opposition parties came together in protest. The reluctance to accept, the MP said, stemmed from the fact that it gives the opposition a platform to raise issues and talk about why it has lost trust in the government. On Wednesday, the Speaker in a U-turn, asked to see if the motion had the support of the minimum 50 parliamentarians to go forward and the number was much higher. The trust vote will be held on Friday.  Coming in the last Parliament session before the Lok Sabha polls next year, it will help the opposition in at least two ways – by setting a common agenda as well as giving a more formal shape to the two sides as those parties on the fence will have to pick one. 

As a former NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party is well aware that barring any major twist in the next couple of days, the no-confidence motion it moved in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday is unlikely to endanger the Narendra Modi government. And yet, it is celebrating the acceptance of its motion by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan as a success. Kesineni Srinivas, the TDP parliamentarian who moved the motion, told News18 that the trust vote is less about testing the strength of the BJP government and more about bringing to the fore its failures

The letter was signed by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Jyotiraditya Scindia, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Salim, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, NCP’s Tariq Anwar, RJD leader Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, CN Jayadevan of CPI, PK Kunhalikutty of Kerala-based IUML and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann. Speaker Mahajan had last week written to opposition parties expressing concern over the frequent disruptions in Parliament and asked them to introspect while ensuring that the dignity of Parliament was not undermined. The opposition's letter, on the other hand, claims that the BJP bulldozed through the previous Lok Sabha session by not allowing debate on several important bills, “which will have bearing on constitutionally guaranteed rights being converted into virtually 'single-house bills' by way of certifying them as money bills”.

The TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu had quit the ruling NDA earlier this year seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh. A similar motion on the government by the party could not be taken up earlier as the Budget session was completely washed out. The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 535 and the BJP with 273 MPs has a clear majority in the House along with its allies. Parliamentarians from seven opposition parties had on Tuesday written to Sumitra Mahajan expressing "deep anguish" over the manner in which the BJP allegedly circumvented constitutional norms during the last Parliamentary session.

Narendra Modi government will face its first no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha during the last year of its office. The motion was moved by TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas. The speaker admitted the motion as over 50 opposition party MPs stood in its support. On the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved the motion which was admitted by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.