Members of Opposition parties stage a protest at Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore)Parliament Monsoon Session Live Updates: Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 4:15 pm after MPs led by the Congress shouted slogans and raised banners to protest against the contentious farm bills.
As the house met, Congress MPs raised banners with “Don’t kill the Farmers” slogans and “Kisanon par Tanashahi nahin chalegi”. Speaker Om Birla urged members to follow the Covid-19 protocols in the house and maintain physical distance. Speaker then said he was concerned about the safety of the MPs and he would adjourn the proceedings for an hour.
Meanwhile, earlier today, the government said it will consider revoking the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members only after they apologise for their behaviour in the Upper House, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported. The remarks came after a number of Opposition parties, led by the Congress, staged a walkout
from the Rajya Sabha demanding that the suspension of eight members be revoked.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday said the opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House till the suspension is revoked. Speaking after the Zero Hour, Azad also demanded that the government brings a bill that should ensure private players don’t procure food grains below the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government. He also asked the government that the MSP should be fixed from time to time as the C2 Swaminathan formula.
The Rajya Sabha today passed the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and amendments to essential commodities law.
TMC MP Derek O'Brien attempts to tear the rule book as ruckus erupts in the Rajya Sabha over agriculture related bills, during the ongoing Monsoon Session, at Parliament House in New Delhi, Sunday. (Photo: Screengrab @ RSTV via PTI)
After an hour-long adjournment, Lok Sabha proceedings have started again. Speaker Om Birla requests members to follow Covid-19 protocols.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 4:15 pm after MPs led by the Congress shouted slogans and raised banners to protest against the contentious farm bills. As the house met, Congress MPs raised banners with “Don’t kill the Farmers” slogans and “Kisanon par Tanashahi nahin chalegi”. Speaker Om Birla urged members to follow the Covid-19 protocols in the house and maintain physical distance. Speaker then said he was concerned about the safety of the MPs and he would adjourn the proceedings for an hour. Read the full report here.
Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 4:14 PM.
Amidst sloganeering, Lok Sabha proceedings have begun. Speaker Om Birla is chairing the session.
In Lok Sabha, The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, The Code On Social Security, 2020 and The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are among the bills that will be discussed.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till tomorrow
Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill to further amend the Companies Act and decriminalise various compoundable offences as well as promote ease of doing business in the country. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha, amid several opposition MPs boycotting the proceedings of the House to protest suspension of eight members. The Lok Sabha had given its approval to the bill on September 19. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to decriminalise various penal provisions, permit direct overseas listing of Indian corporates and introduce a new chapter related to producer organisations in the legislation. Reduction in penalties for certain offences as well as in timeline for rights issues, relaxation in CSR compliance requirements and creation of separate benches at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) are also among the proposed changes.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday targeted the government over the passage of the "dangerous" farm Bills without division of votes in Rajya Sabha, while lauding the sit-in protest on the Parliament premises by the eight suspended MPs. Kejriwal said these eight MPs were fighting for the rights of farmers without worrying about heat, mosquitoes or other inconveniences and have spent the night protesting in the Parliament complex. "They are not asking for anything for themselves. They are fighting for democracy and the Constitution. They are struggling for the farmers of the country," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
The government will consider revoking the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members only after they apologise for their behaviour in the Upper House, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.
"We will consider withdrawal of suspension only after suspended members apologise for their behaviour in Rajya Sabha," Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside Parliament. "We expected the Congress would oppose such unruly behaviour by Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha," he said. What kind of politics is this that a tweet comes from abroad and MPs behave like this, the minister said, apparently referring to tweets by Rahul Gandhi, who is outside the country accompanying his mother Sonia Gandhi for her medical check-up. "We have never seen a Congress MP dancing on the Rajya Sabha table and tear papers," Prasad said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said he is observing a day-long fast on Tuesday to protest the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members of the Upper House. The MPs were suspended for the remaining part of the current session over their "misbehavior" with the House deputy chairman during the passage of the Farm Bills on Sunday. Addressing a Press conference here, Pawar, a Rajya Sabha member, also bemoaned the conduct of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Venkaiah Naidu and the Modi government's decision of "bulldozing" the Opposition in the House. The eight MPs were expelled for expressing their opinion, Pawar said, adding the deputy chairman did not give priority to (House) rules.
Nirmala Sitharaman says the Bill is important as there have been many banks and cooperative societies that have had problems in the past 1.5 years. This amendment is to protect the interests of depositers, she says. Rajya Sabha passes the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moves motion for consideration of The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The House begins discussion on the Bill.
BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnaw, congratulating Deputy Chairman Harivansh on his "non-violent response to violent actions", says this Bill has a "human angle" to it. He says when the promoters of Yes Bank tried to swindle the hard-earned incomes of people, the government took quick action and a reconstruction plan was formulated. This plan was applauded the world-over, he says. "Examples of PMC Bank and Yes Bank shows the importance and requirement of this Bill."
"We wanted not just the suspension to be revoked but at the same time we wanted the farm bills to be taken back & proper voting to happen. But nothing of that sort was going to happen as the Chairman wasn't ready to listen to anyone. So all the opposition parties boycotted the rest of the session. They appealed to all the people who were sitting at the dharna to finish it & join them in boycotting the rest of the session. That is how we have ended this dharna," said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Nasir Hussain.
PM Modi shares RS deputy chairman Harivansh's letter to President Ram Nath Kovind. Modi says he has gone through the entire letter, which is inspirational and urges people to give it a read as well. Modi says every word of the letter strengthens belief in the democratic values of the country.
Deputy chairman calls on Binoy Viswam, MV Shreyams Kumar, KC Venugopal and Digvijaya Singh to move their resolution against the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The members are not present.
Rajya Sabha has taken up the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 for passage
Rajya Sabha passes the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The Bill amends Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014 and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017. The Bill seeks to declare five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) set up under the Public-Private Partnership model in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made a fresh appeal to members of all opposition parties to rethink their decision of boycotting the House proceedings and participate in the discussions of the House. "I appeal to all members to rethink their decision of boycott and participate in the discussion," Naidu said in the House.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh writes to President Ram Nath Kovind against the unruly behaviour with him in the House by opposition MPs during the passing of agriculture Bills on 20th September. Expressing his deep anguish and pain at opposition members' "humiliating" conduct towards him, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh on Tuesday announced a 24-hour long fast, hoping that this may inspire a feeling of "self-purification" in them. The sight of "disrobing of democracy" jolted his mind and heart and he could not sleep for the whole night, the Bihar MP wrote in the letter underscoring his agony and pain at the development.