Parliamentarians observe silence during an obituary reference for late YSRCP MP Balli Durga Prasad Rao in Lok Sabha at the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, on Thursday. (Photo: LSTV via PTI)Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed two contentious legislations ––– Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, through voice vote. Moving the bills in the Lower House, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said they are aimed at making farming profitable and clarified that these bills would not have any impact on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism which will continue. He further assured that these legislations would not encroach upon the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts of the states.
While opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, RSP opposed the bills, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur, belonging to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which is a member of BJP-led NDA, resigned from the government in protest over the ordinances. Targeting SAD president Sukhbir Badal and his wife and Union Cabinet Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Congress, AAP and SAD (Democratic) had demanded that the latter resign from the Union Cabinet as her position is “untenable” following her party’s stance against the agriculture Bills. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against three ordinances promulgated by the Centre on June 5. After the Monsoon Session of Parliament began this week, the government had introduced three Bills to replace these ordinances.
On the fourth day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke on the military standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh on Thursday. Asserting that China continues to be in illegal occupation of approx 38,000 sq. kms in the Union Territory of Ladakh, the Defence Minister also said, “Chinese actions reflect a disregard of our various bilateral agreements. The amassing of the troops by China goes against the 1993 & 1996 Agreements.”
Parliament LIVE updates: Face masks have been made compulsory for all the members during this session. (Express Photo by Renuka Puri)
Lok Sabha adjourned till 3 pm Friday.
Lok Sabha on Thursday passed two legislations ––– Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, through voice vote.
Bengal Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury targetted the Centre over the farm bills. He said that he appreciated the stand of Harsimrat Kaur to resign frm the cabinet to protest against the "draconian law".
Congress leader K C Venugopal on Thursday demanded a probe by a parliamentary committee into Facebook’s alleged interference in the country’s electoral democracy and that the social media platform publish all hate speech posts that were allowed since 2014. Making a special mention in Rajya Sabha, Venugopal said media reports have revealed about Facebook India’s “blatant biases and dubious practices” in content regulation. “This is a damning and serious allegation of Facebook India’s interference in the country’s electoral democracy,” he said, adding that India is one of the biggest markets in terms of users for Facebook and WhatsApp. Read more here
Mahua Moitra, a TMC MP from West Bengal's Krishnanagar said that the government is attacking the spirit of federalism. "By legislating on the farm sector, the government has once again done what it does best, that is aggrandising itself the authority that is simply not vested in it by the Constitution."
Moitra pointed out that the government's interference in a state subject will create unnecessary ambiguity and rural divide. She said that the bill creates two trade areas, one trade area under new Bills, other already existing under the APMC act, which will create confusion. She said that the Bill doesn't have any mention of license in this new trade area, which will make farmers vulnerable to unscrupulous practices, as the state governments will not be able to regulate.
Stressing that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is a member of BJP-led NDA, opposed the farm bills moved by the government, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Thursday said that Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur will resign from the government in protest over the ordinances. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday moved The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha. Congress MP from Ludhiana, Punjab, Ravneet Singh Bittu, RSP MP N K Premachandran among others opposed the ordinances terming it the Centre's attempt to destroy agriculture.
Shiromani Akali Dal, which is a member of BJP-led NDA, too opposed the Agriculture Bills.
Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against three ordinances promulgated by the Centre on June 5. After the Monsoon Session of Parliament began this week, the government has introduced three Bills to replace these ordinances. Lok Sabha passed one of these on Tuesday, and the other two are listed for consideration and passing during the current session. Read our explainer here
The government on Thursday said it has rejected Pakistan's "obsession" with "territorial aggrandisement" supported by cross border terrorism, in a reference to Islamabad unveiling a new political map laying claim to Indian territories. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the government continues to respond "appropriately" to Pakistan's malicious actions and propaganda, including on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, at various international fora. He was replying to a written question on the issue in Rajya Sabha. Pakistan released the new map on August 4 laying claim to union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and parts of Gujarat. "Government has rejected Pakistan's obsession with territorial aggrandisement supported by cross border terrorism," Muraleedharan said in the written reply, calling release of the map by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as "absurd". (PTI)
The government is using the COVID pandemic situation to bulldoze agricultural sector reforms through ordinances, and thereby misusing the Presidential power under Article 123 of the Constitution, said N K Premachandran, Revolutionary Socialist Party in Lok Sabha. "My humble submission to the government is that the bills be sent to the standing committee for scrutiny, otherwise, it will be another disaster for the farming community in India," said Premachandran.
Rajya Sabha MP and PDP leader Mir Mohammad Fayaz on Thursday demanded release of all detained political leaders and workers, including his party's chief Mehbooba Mufti, saying they are under detention in Jammu and Kashmir for over one year. Raising the matter during Zero Hour in the Upper House of Parliament, Fayaz said Article 370 was abrogated on August 5 last year and thousands, including political leaders, were arrested on the same night. (PTI)
A group of Punjab Congress leaders on Thursday said their party was totally in unison over the farm bills, and did not need a whip to vote against the Centre's "reprehensible bid to destroy" the agriculture. They were reacting to the statement of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema who had said that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had led a delegation to submit a memorandum to the governor on the issue instead of directing his MPs to express solidarity with the farming community by voting against the agri ordinances. (PTI)
Congress MPs from Punjab burnt copies of the farm bills proposed by the government inside the Parliament complex on Thursday even as the party staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue. The Congress is opposed to the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 that the NDA government has proposed in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session, replacing the ordinances issued by it earlier. Congress MPs Jasbir Singh Gill, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Gurjit Singh Aujla and Amar Singh burnt copies of the bills and said they will oppose the proposed legislations tooth and nail. They also wore black robes, saying "I am a farmer and farm labourer and don't betray me". (PTI)
The government Thursday said it did not incur any expenses for the 'Howdy-Modi' event at Houston in the US in September last year and that it was organised by a not-for-profit group. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by US President Donald Trump, addressed a crowd of over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the event in a stadium in Houston on September 22, 2019. "A US-based not-for-profit organisation namely the Texas India Forum Inc. organised an event titled, 'Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures' in Houston on September 22, 2019," Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in the Rajya Sabha.
Congress MP from Ludhiana, Punjab, Ravneet Singh Bittu opposes the farm bills.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar moves The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha. (Screengrab: LSTV)
Discussion on The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla extends birthday wishes to PM Narendra Modi on behalf of all the members of the House.
Lok Sabha session resumes after an hour of adjournment.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla makes obituary reference about Balli Durga Prasad Rao, a YSRCP MP, who passed recently passed away at the age of 64. House is adjourned till 4 pm.