Parliament Session LIVE: Houses to Reconvene After Opposition Walkout Over Manipur Issue

A heated exchange occurred in Lok Sabha on Thursday between Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over the Opposition’s disruption of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement on the government’s foreign policy. Following Jaishankar’s statement, Chowdhury attempted to raise a point of order, but Goyal objected, refusing to let the Congress leader speak in protest against the disruption of the External Affairs Minister’s statement.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill as well as a measure to repeal obsolete laws were passed in the Lok Sabha through a voice vote as Opposition members protested and raised slogans on the Manipur issue. The Bill aims to amend 183 provisions in 42 Acts, which fall under the administration of 19 ministries, to reduce the compliance burden on individuals and businesses. Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that this ongoing process would support India’s economic growth. The Bill was initially introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 22, 2022, and later referred to the Joint Committee of Parliament.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a detailed summary of foreign engagements of the president, vice-president and the prime minister over the last four months amid loud sloganeering by the Opposition members who raised “INDIA, INDIA” and “Manipur, Manipur” slogans. NDA members countered with “Modi Modi” chants. The Opposition have persisted with their protests, demanding a statement from the prime minister on the situation in ethnic strife-torn Manipur, followed by a comprehensive discussion on the matter.

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, which includes provisions for punishing individuals making pirated copies of movies with up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to five per cent of the production cost of the film. The bill also introduces three age-based certifications under the ‘UA’ category, namely ‘UA 7+’, ‘UA 13+’, and ‘UA 16+’, while granting the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) the authority to issue a separate certificate for a film’s exhibition on television or other media. During the bill’s discussion, the opposition demanded a debate on the situation in Manipur, which has been affected by ethnic strife, and staged a walkout.

The Opposition alliance INDIA boycotted a Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Thursday, in protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failure to address the issue of Manipur violence in Parliament. The BAC, chaired by the Vice President as an ex-officio member, comprises 11 members, including three MPs from the 26-member INDIA opposition front: Jairam Ramesh (Congress), Misa Bharti (RJD) and Derek O’Brien (TMC). BRS leader Keshav Rao also skipped the meeting.

The Monsoon Session of the Parliament will resume at 11 am today a day after both the Houses witnessed slogan wars. Opposition chanted “INDIA, INDIA” over Manipur issue to which NDA countered with “Modi, Modi” slogans. Rajya Sabha passed Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill despite Opposition walkout while the Lok Sabha passes Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill amid protests.