Another day of washout in House over GST, price rise

NEW DELHI:  Demands for discussion on price rise and GST disrupted the parliamentary proceedings for the third consecutive day Wednesday with both the Houses adjourned without transacting any legislative business. With the Opposition pressing for demand on the discussion on price rise, the government said it is ready for a debate once Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recovers from Covid-19. 

Carrying packets of milk, curd, and other food items, Opposition MPs staged a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and some were seen carrying these times and flashing them inside the House. The MPs in both the Houses resorted to sloganeering and carried placards with ‘Gabbar Singh strikes again’ written into the well of the House amidst slogans of ‘take back GST’. 

The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022, which introduces a permit requirement for expeditions to Antarctica, was on the agenda in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, the Bill to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems Act, 2005 was listed, but both couldn’t be taken up.

Union minister Smriti Irani later launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi. “He may be unproductive politically but he should not continuously curb Parliament’s productivity. As an Amethi MP between 2004 and 2019, he never posed any questions in Parliament and when he abandoned the constituency and became Wayanad MP, his attendance in LS was less than 40% in the winter session in 2019,” she said.

PM to host dinner for new Prez on Friday; Congress CMs, KCR not invited
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to host a dinner in honour of the ‘new President’ on Friday. Among the invitees are the chief ministers of all the NDA-ruled states, besides those from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. However, the Congress chief ministers have been kept out. Telangana CM T Chandrasekhara Rao has also not been invited to the dinner. The invite, sent out by the Ministry of Home Affairs, said: “As the time available for delivering the cards to chief ministers and deputy chief ministers would be very short, it is decided that the cards will be delivered to the offices of Resident Commissioners for handing over to chief minister and deputy chief minister of their state.” Protesting at the  apparent ‘snub’, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel tweeted saying that the  President belongs to all the parties and the entire country. The Prime Minister should not play party politics using the head of the State, he said. The dinner will be held at Hotel Ashok in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. ENS