Opposition raises posters saying, "Gabbar Singh strikes again" to protest against the GST rates in the Lok Sabha. (Sansad TV/screenshot)Parliament Monsoon Session 2022 Live Updates: Soon after proceedings resumed in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm, Opposition members again carried posters of ‘Gabbar Singh strikes again’ into the Well of the House to protest against the GST rates. Following this, the Lower House was adjourned till 4 pm. The Rajya Sabha, meanwhile, has adjourned till 11 am on July 21, amid Opposition protest.
Several Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex carrying packets of milk, curd, and other food items. Hitting out at Gandhi, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, “His political life has been spent disrespecting parliamentary traditions. Now he is dedicating himself to ensuring that parliamentary proceedings and debates do not take place.” She added, “He may be unproductive politically but he should not dare to continuously curb Parliament’s productivity.”
Meanwhile, sprinter P T Usha took the oath in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. She was nominated to the Upper House last week.
Congress MPs and other opposition parties' MPs during a protest against inflation and the decision to increase GST on food items, near the Gandhi statue at Parliament complex, in New Delhi, Tuesday, (PTI)
Soon after proceedings resumed in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm, Opposition members again carried posters of ‘Gabbar Singh strikes again’ into the Well of the House to protest against the GST rates. Following this, the Lower House was adjourned till 4 pm.
Soon after the proceedings in Rajya Sabha resumed at 2 pm, the House was adjourned till 11 am on July 21, amid Opposition protest.
As the Parliament proceedings resumed in both the Houses at 2 pm, Lok Sabha MPs raised slogans and carried cards saying 'Gabbar Singh strikes again' to demand a discussion on prise rise and GST rates.
Sansad TV/screenshot
Both the Houses were adjourned till 2 pm shortly after the Parliament session began on Wednesday.
The Opposition has been raising slogans and demanding a discussion over price rise and GST rates.
Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, protested against the rise in prices and GST rates on Wednesday at the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex.
Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday tweeted that the business in Parliament was"suffering" as the Opposition members' demands for a debate over price and GST rates were denied.
"Modi Sarkar's obstinacy continues," Ramesh tweeted.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi hit out at the protesting Opposition members in the Lok Sabha, stating that it was not right for members to come to the Well despite the Speaker's assurances that they will be allowed their issues later. "Are the protesting members interested in discussions or not?" Joshi questioned.
This came as MPs raised slogans to protest against the price hike and GST rates and trooped into the Well of House with slogans and packets of milk and curd.
Opposition members, some displaying placards and shouting slogans, trooped into the Well of the Lower House on Wednesday. Some were also seen carrying packets of milk, buttermilk, butter and curd to protest against the levying of GST.
Speaker Om Birla told the protesting members that he would give them the opportunity to raise the issues during Zero Hour. "This House is for discussions and not for shouting slogans. This kind of conduct is not appropriate for the decorum of the House and there is a process to be followed by the members," he said. (PTI)
Amid continued chaos in both the Houses as Opposition members demanded a discussion over price rise and GST rates, the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm.
As the proceedings for the third day of the Monsoon Session began in Lok Sabha, Opposition members carried posters of ‘Gabbar Singh strikes again’ into the Well of the House to protest against the GST rates.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated that Parliament is not a place for slogans and protesting. Taking note of the chaos in the House, Birla stated the Opposition's behaviour was unbecoming of Parliament.
Sprinter P T Usha took the oath in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. She was nominated to the Upper House last week.
Sansad TV/Screenshot
Amid protests by the Opposition over price hike and GST rates in Parliament which stalled proceedings in both Houses, Union Minister Smriti Irani hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for “bringing down” the productivity of the Lok Sabha.
“Rahul Gandhi has never posed a question, always disrespected Parliamentary proceedings. He’s the one to have less than 40 per cent attendance in Parliament. Today, the person who’s been politically unproductive is dedicating himself to ensuring there’s no debate in Parliament,” Irani was quoted as saying by ANI.
"A gentleman whose entire political history has been dotted with showing disrespect to Parliamentary procedure is adamant to bring down the productivity of Lok Sabha," Irani added.
Sprinter P T Usha will take the prescribed oath in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. She was nominated to the Upper House last week.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha Wednesday moved suspension of business notice in the Upper House for discussion on the committee on MSP constituted by Centre, ANI reported.
DMK's Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva has given a suspension of business notice in the Upper House over the "enormous hike in the price of petroleum products which has a spiraling effect on the essential commodities prices affecting poor and middle-class people," ANI reported.
There are “very strong” lessons to be learnt from the turmoil in Sri Lanka, including lessons on fiscal prudence, responsible governance and abandoning a culture of freebies, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at an all-party meeting held on Tuesday to discuss the Lankan crisis.
But a mention of the debt and fiscal condition of states such as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during a presentation by the government triggered vociferous protests from the Opposition leaders, who asked the government to confine the briefing and the discussion on the crisis in Lanka.
In the meeting, Jaishankar said India, as the immediate neighbour, is naturally worried over the “very serious crisis” in the island-nation. “The reason we took the initiative to request you all to join an all-party meeting was…this is a very serious crisis and what we are seeing in Sri Lanka is in many ways an unprecedented situation… Given the proximity, we naturally worry about the consequences, the spillover it has for us,” he said. Read more
The Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena on Tuesday approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Tuesday to recognise it as the official Sena, with Rahul Shewale, a two-time MP from Mumbai South Central, as its leader.
A 49-year-old Dalit leader, who has been associated with the Sena for over two decades now, Shewale was the first party MP to write to Uddhav Thackeray urging him to support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the elections.
Lately, Shewale has also been in the news for rape allegations against him. Shewale has called the charge a lie and filed an FIR of cheating, blackmail and defamation. Read more
Gearing up for protests on July 21, the day Congress president Sonia Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate, the party has reached out to other Opposition parties requesting them to show solidarity. MPs of the Congress may stage a protest in Parliament while senior party leaders will assemble at the AICC headquarters, 24, Akbar Road.
At a meeting of Opposition leaders on Monday, sources said, Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh requested the other parties to join the July 21 protest and also the one against price rise and GST rates hike in Parliament on Tuesday. Read more
The Shiv Sena group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde received a shot in the arm on Tuesday when Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised Rahul Shewale as the party’s floor leader in the lower house.
A circular from Lok Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday evening refreshed the party’s positions in the House, “consequent upon the change in leader of Shiv Sena Party in Lok Sabha”. It mentioned that Shewale will be floor leader of the 19-member party.
The recognition came a day before Supreme Court takes up for hearing a clutch of petitions on the dispute between Shinde and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. While the Thackeray camp claims the Shinde-led government in the state is “illegal” until the top court decides on disqualifications, the rebels claim they are the real Sena with an overwhelming majority of party MLAs. Read more
In the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to move that the Bill to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, approved by the Lok Sabha, be passed. The Bill seeks to provide against financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in line with India’s international obligations.
Meanwhile, in Lok Sabha, MoS Dr Jitendra Singh will move the Indian Antarctic Bill to be considered and passed. The Bill seeks to "provide for national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment and associated ecosystems and to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty," the Lok Sabha's website states.