Bills relating to Corruption and Fugitive Economic Offenders were passed in parliament today.
The Monsoon session of parliament began yesterday and had a marked beginning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement regarding the importance of amicable discussions in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The prime minister went on to say that had confidence that the opposition parties would participate in a healthy debate an various issues.
The No Confidence motion filed by opposition parties including the Congress and TDP was accepted in the Lok Sabha yesterday with July 20 being set as the date for voting and discussion. Seven new MPs took the oath of office in Rajya Sabha on the monsoon session's first day and one MP, took the oath of office in Lok Sabha. The parliament sessions also witnessed protests in the Lok Sabha by TDP MPs who have been seeking special state status for Andhra Pradesh. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also spoke in the parliament urging the Prime Minister to speak about the violence incidents and mob killings that have occurred across the country.
The current session of parliament will have 18 sittings which comes to 108 hours of potential work. Excluding the Question Hour and the Zero Hour, 62 hours will be available for government agenda.
Here are the Highlights from Day Two Of Monsoon Session of Parliament 2018:
Highlights From The Second Day Of The Monsoon Session Of Parliament
The second day of proceedings for the monsoon session of parliament was marked by speculation over how some parties and MPs would be voting in the scheduled no-confidence motion tomorrow. As the day progressed, more and more parties made their stand clear while the BJD and AIADMK have not spelled out their stand yet.
Here are the highlights from the second day,
- The Lok Sabha discussed and passed the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018
- The Rajya Sabha discussed and passed The Prevention of Corruption Bill (Amendment), 2013.
- The Shiv Sena stated that they would be voting against the No-Confidence motion tomorrow after Amit Shah spoke with Uddhav Thackeray.
- Opposition parties staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha after Rajnath Singh's statement condemning mob violence incidents across the country. The opposition stated that the minister's statement was unsatisfactory.
For tomorrow's No Confidence debate the following time has been allotted to different parties,
BJP - 3 Hours 33 minutes
Congress - 38 minutes
AIADMK - 29 Minutes
TMC - 27 Minutes
BJD - 15 Minutes
Shiv Sena - 14 Minutes
TDP - 13 Minutes
TRS - 9 Minutes
Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended for the day and will resume at 11 AM tomorrow.
Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2018 Passed
The Fugitive Economic Offenders, 2018 has been passed in the Lok Sabha.
Proceedings in the house have been suspended till 11 AM tomorrow.
Both houses of the parliament are currently voting on proposed amendments to bill being debated.
The Lok Sabha has been debating the The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 and the Rajya Sabha has been discussing the The Prevention of Corruption Bill (Amendment), 2013.
Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal responds to questions and criticisms of the The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 in the Lok Sabha.
Speaking about the Rs 100 crore demarcation in the bill he said that it was thought necessary to tackle major offenders who commit fraud over 100 crores first, otherwise it would be to burden the special courts by transferring all the cases to them. Also to ensure that the cases are fast tracked, the demarcation has been introduced.
The very institution of CBI is under danger right now, says Congress MP Digvijaya Singh in the Rajya Sabha.
BJP MP Shatrugan Sinha has said that as long as he is in BJP, he will support the party and follow every whip.
The Congress has issued a whip to its MPs to be present in the Lok Sabha for the No Confidence vote tomorrow.
The Prevention of Corruption Bill (Amendment), 2013 is being discussed in the Rajya Sabha right now and the The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 is being discussed for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.
The Aam Aadmi party has issued a whip directing its MPs to vote in favour of the No Confidence motion tomorrow.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor while speaking on the The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 proposed by the government said that, the men and women of the country are struggling to make their daily payments as the govt doesn't have enough money to give to MNEREGA while our white collar criminals have continued to fraud the country of its money.
He also said that all the provisions of the bill could be escaped by the fugitive if they sell their assets before leaving the country.
Lunches, Dinners Together For BJP Lawmakers Before No Confidence VoteAccording to top party leaders of the BJP, the MPs from the party have been asked to have
lunches and dinners together today and tomorrow to ensure that all are present for the no-confidence vote in the Lok Sabha tomorrow.
The Shiv Sena has issued a whip directing its MPs to vote against the no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha tomorrow
Congress MP Anand Sharma while speaking in the Rajya Sabha has said the government had promised that money would be deposited in people's accounts but instead that money has gone outside India.
Shiv Sena will be supporting the BJP government in the No-Trust Vote tomorrow after Amit Shah spoke to Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray over the phone.
BJP MP Shatrugan Sinha will be voting against the No Confidence motion tomorrow according to reports.
Shashi Tharoor while speaking to NDTV about tomorrow's No Confidence motion said, "It's an opportunity for us to speak the people and lay out our concern."
The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has issued a whip directing MPs to be present in Lok Sabha tomorrow for the no confidence motion.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor speaking on Home Minister Rajnath's Singh statement on incidents of mob violence said that the statement wasn't satisfactory and hence the Congress staged a walkout.
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha have been adjourned till 2:10 PM.
Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned till 2 PM.
Telegu Dasam Party's MP J C Diwakar Reddy has said that he would stay away from the parliament during the No Confidence vote as it was "just a routine" and "the government is not going to fall anyway"
Opposition party members belonging to the Congress have staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha expressing dissatisfaction with Rajnath Singh's statement on incidents of mob violence.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar while speaking about tomorrow's no confidence vote said today that Prime Minister Modi's government had a majority both inside and outside the parliament.
After BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda's resignation and Jose K Mani's nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the effective strength of the Lok Sabha has fallen to 533 with the majority mark at 266 ahead of tomorrow's no confidence vote.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha today, Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about the mob violence incidents involving social media rumors and said that the government has asked social sites for regulations for such rumors.
Rajnath Singh spoke about the incidents of mob violence that have occurred across the country.
Speaking to NDTV about tomorrow's discussion and voting on the No Confidence motion, Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "...it would be interesting to see how some BJP MPs like Mr Shatrugan Sinha, Mr Kirti Azad, you know, what are the positions which they take because essentially this is going to be for all practical purposes, perhaps the last session of parliament."
According to sources, AIADMK and Naveen Patnaik's BJD may abstain in the No Confidence vote to be held tomorrow.
Congress President Rahul Gandh has tweeted about the proposed amendment to the Right to Information Act saying that the changes must be opposed by every Indian.
The Congress MPs also held a protest in the parliament premises demanding rights for farmers.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had said that the Shiv Sena would be voting against the opposition's No Confidence vote even as the Shiv Sena hadn't spelt out its stand. In an interview Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena has said that Shiv Sena would do whatever Uddav Thakachey directs them to do.
According to news agency ANI, the Congress given an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha over the issue of mob lynching.
Proceedings for the second day of the monsoon session of the parliament have begun with the question hour in the Lok Sabha and the zero hour in the Rajya Sabha.