Parliament LIVE Updates: Lok Sabha reconvened at 9 pm today but the Opposition protests continued in the House. The Centre urged embers to 'fulfill constitutional duty' by passing Motion of Thanks on Presidential address, but the Opposition remained unrelenting.
Parliament LATEST Updates: Lok Sabha reconvened at 9 pm today but the Opposition protests continued in the House. The Centre urged embers to 'fulfill constitutional duty' by passing Motion of Thanks on Presidential address, but the Opposition remained unrelenting.
Replying to questions in the Lok Sabha on the border row with China, including whether the talks have helped in reaching any logical conclusions, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said, "Since mid-May the Chinese side attempted to transgress the LAC in several areas of the Western Sector of the India-China border area. These attempts were invariably met with an appropriate response from us."
To address the issues arising out of such attempts, Muraleedharan said, the two sides have held nine rounds of senior commander-level talks and six meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC).
The government has not set any timeline for holding simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in the country, the Centre has informed the Parliament.
In written reply to a question, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice had examined the issue of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies in consultation with various stakeholders, including the Election Commission. The committee gave certain recommendations in its 79th report, he said.
The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned yet again as the Members of Oppositions protested in the House. Speaker Om Birla has adjourned the House till 9 pm.
Speaker Om Birla has allowed the MPs to lay down various papers and reports on the table even as Opposition slogans continued in the House. Members of the Congres, DMK, Trinamool, and Bhagwant Mann of the AAP were at the forefront of protesting against the farm laws
The Lok Sabha convened at 4 pm but was adjourned within five minutes for the next 30 minutes as Opposition members stormed the Well. The House failed to maintain order even at 4.30 and Speaker Om Birla has now ordered an adjournment till 5 pm
Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that the Centre is suppressing the farmers and has labelled them anti-national and terrorist because they have been demanding their rights.
The strong reaction by MEA came after Rihanna, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, American actress Amanda Cerni and several other prominent people took to Twitter to lent their voices to the months-long farmer protests against three newly enacted farm laws.
The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been fully integrated into the mainstream of the nation after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy told Parliament on Wednesday.
Attacking the Opposition, he said the government has given new rights to farmers through these new farm laws and none of their rights or facilities have been taken away.
Participating in the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha, he suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself should make the announcement on repeal of the bills.
Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said large convoys of protesting farmers in tractors tried to 'furiously' force their way and go past police barricades to enter Delhi on Republic Day in protest against the farm laws.
Five extra hours have been added to the duration of discussion in Rajya Sabha on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of Parliament to allow debate on the farmers' protest against three agri reforms.
Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad invoked Indigo movement and Kheda satyagraha, both led by Mahatma Gandhi, while discussing farm laws in Rajya Sabha. 'No strength is greater than farmers' strength,' he said.
A high-decibel session is expected in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, with discussions over the new farm laws on the cards.
Three Aam Aadmi Party members were marshalled out of Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked them to withdraw as they trooped into the Well of the House raising slogans against the new farm laws.
The government on Tuesday asserted in Lok Sabha that it was ready to discuss issues related to farmers both inside and outside Parliament amid vociferous protests by the Opposition which forced repeated adjournments of both the Houses.
Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday without transacting substantial business as the Congress and other Opposition members created an uproar demanding discussion on the issue of farmers' protest over the three new farm laws.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told Lok Sabha after the first adjournment that the Modi government is always committed to discuss the farmer issues.
"Government is ready to discuss issues related to farmers inside and outside Parliament," he said amid sloganeering by opposition members.
Tomar's reply came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that 170 farmers have died during the ongoing agitation against the three contentious farm laws.
"Atrocities are being committed on farmers. Situation is similar to British rule," Chowdhury alleged.
Rajya Sabha was first adjourned for about 40 minutes till 10.30 am, then till 11.30 am and then to 12.30 pm.
After the President's Address to both Houses of Parliament on Friday and presentation of the Union Budget on Monday, Tuesday was the first regular sitting of Parliament.
When the upper house re-assembled at 12:30 pm, protesting members again trooped into the Well raising slogans, forcing Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn proceedings for the day.
In Lok Sabha, opposition members mainly from the Congress, DMK and the Trinamool Congress rushed to the Well of the House demanding repeal of the three "black" laws.
Members of the Shiv Sena were seen raising slogans from the aisles. Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal was also seen holding a poster demanding repeal of the contentious agriculture legislations.
Speaker Om Birla urged the members to return to their seats and follow the protocol. He said that in the ongoing Question Hour, questions related to farmers were listed and members can raise their issues at that time.
He also said during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address, members can raise these issues. But opposition members refused to relent.
The lower house was adjourned due to disruptions at around 4.10 pm, 5.00 pm and for the day a little after 7.00 pm.
In Rajya Sabha, four bills were listed for consideration and passing in the legislative business for the day. These were: The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020; The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019; The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020; and The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2020.
When Lok Sabha reassembled at 7 pm, Speaker Om Birla asked BJP member Locket Chatterjee to initiate the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address amid sloganeeering by the opposition members.
Chatterjee began her speech by praising the government for deciding to celebrate the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on 23 January as 'Parakram Diwas' every year. The member from the poll-bound state of West Bengal continued her address amid the din.
After repeated appeals by the speaker and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi failed to calm the agitated members, Birla adjourned the House for the day.
Joshi sad the debate on the Motion of Thanks has never seen disruptions and what the opposition was doing was "not fair".
In Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the farmers have been camping on Delhi's borders for more than two months and the issue needs to be discussed.
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said the House is not aware of what is going on between the government and farmers and the House should discuss the issue separately from the Motion of Thanks.
"We want a discussion on a specific issue," he said.
While CPM leader Elamaram Kareem said water and electricity supplies to the farmer protest sites have been cut, DMK's Tiruchi Siva said farmers have been sitting on roads for over two months in the cold and the issue needs to be discussed separately.
Manoj Jha (RJD) said Parliament should at least discuss the issue.
However, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not agree to their motion after which the members of Congress, Left parties, TMC, DMK and RJD staged a walkout.
Several farmers unions have been staging protests for over 70 days now on various border points of Delhi demanding the repeal of the farm laws.
