Congress’s national spokesperson Abhishek SinghviRAJYA SABHA MP and Congress’s national spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi raised quite a few eyebrows, both within and outside the party, by two seemingly strange tweets. In one tweet, he lashed out at national award winner Zaira Wasim, who announced her decision to quit acting saying it interfered with her faith and religion. Singhvi tweeted: “Halala is legitimate and acting is haram, will Muslims in India progress like this.” Many in the party were surprised by the tweet, which questioned an entire community and its religious beliefs for one person’s decision. Nikah halala is a practice in which Muslim women, after being divorced, have to consummate a second marriage before they can remarry their first husband. In another tweet on the communal tension in Old Delhi, he slammed Home Minister Amit Shah for no action on the “temple incident” since the Delhi Police is under the Centre and asked: “we know the ruling party doesn’t care about minorities but does it also not care for the sentiments of majority?”
Don’t State States
Several discussions during Zero Hour in both Houses are on incidents in different states. On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu decided that the name of no state will be mentioned in the House, as their governments are not present to defend themselves. So after a few questions and mentions, Naidu decided to expunge mention of all states. The uncorrected transcript of debates of the day now mentions no states, including in a statement about custodial deaths in each state. In Naidu’s statements, too, asking the removal of a state’s name now has a blank for that state’s name. Incidentally, the Rajya Sabha is also called the Council of States.
Presence Matters
At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his unhappiness over BJP MPs’ failure in being regular in Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seemed to have sent them a message by highlighting how disciplined members get rewarded. After nominating N K Premachandran, the only member from Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), to the panel of chairpersons, the Speaker specifically mentioned how Premachandran, elected from Kollam, Kerala, had earned it, as usually members from larger parties are nominated to the panel. “You sit long in the House; you are well-versed with the rules and regulations…an honourable member. I feel good that he is now a member of the panel,” Birla said and urged every member to applaud Premachandran.
