The Monsoon Session of Parliament began today. Key bills will be tabled in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
The Monsoon session of Parliament began today. The government and the opposition have planned their strategy for both houses of Parliament. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will both see some key bills being listed. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu have appealed to political parties and MPs to stop blaming each other and ensure that Parliament functions without unnecessary disruptions. Mr Naidu said, smooth functioning of Parliament is a shared responsibility of the ruling and opposition parties. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also urged Lok Sabha MPs not to disrupt proceedings, saying it stalls important legislations and gives India a bad name as the whole world watches the country's parliament. 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 LIVE Updates of from the Monsoon Session of Parliament 2018:
BJP Leaders and Union Minister Anant Kumar has said in an interview that accepting or not acceptingvote of no-confidence was not in the realm of the government and it was prerogative of the Speaker. He also said that all NDA parties are going to vote unitedly against the no-confidence motion.
Mr Kumar also said that Prime Minister Modi's government would receive more support than one expects.
Highlights Of The First Day Of The Monsson Session Of The Parliament
The first day of the monsoon session of the parliament began with the Prime Minister's statement emphasising the need for amicable discussions and the his expression of confidence in the fact that there would be participation from opposition parties. Here are the highlights from the proceedings,
- The day's starting saw protests staged by MPs in the Lok Sabha regarding issues of special status being granted to the state of Andhra Pradesh and as well as a sudden rise in number of mob killings across the country.
- The No-confidence motion filed by opposition parties which included the Congress and TDP was accepted by the speaker of the Lok Sabha and Friday, July 20 was set as day for discussion and voting on the motion.
- Shashi Tharoor also spoke in the Lok Sabha today and brought up the issue of increasing violent attacks in the country calling on the Prime Minister to break his silence and take action.
- Many new members also took the oath of office in both houses of the parliament today.
Both houses of the parliament have been adjourned for the day and proceedings will resume at 11 AM tomorrow.
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha have been adjourned for the day and will resume at 11 AM tomorrow.
Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned for the day and will resume tomorrow at 11 AM.
The Congress has tweeted on the no-confidence motion filed by opposition parties being accepted by the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
A discussion regarding changing the date for the discussion and voting on the no-confidence motion was ongoing in the Lok Sabha but the speaker of the house has said that the appeal would not be entertained right now.
Lok Sabha to take up discussion and voting on no- confidence motion on July 20: Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Proceedings resume in the Rajya Sabha after the adjournment.
Proceedings in the Lok Sabha have been adjourned till 2:10 PM
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 PM.
Here's What Shashi Tharoor Had To Say In The Paliament Today
Raising the issue violent attacks around the country and also the attack on his constituency office, Shashi Tharoor had this to say today in the Parliament,
"..by incendiary elements and their digital equivalents to destroy the idea of India as a pluralistic and accepting democracy. Their victims in recent months have included intellectuals, minorities, various citizens of the country. Yesterday even Swami Agnivesh was attacked.. these are people who have expressed dissent against rising tolerance against today's India and they are being attacked physically.
In so doing, those who are doing this are disregarding the singular principle of our historic democratic consensus which is that in a diverse democracy like ours you don't need to agree all the time, so long as you will agree on the ground rules of how you will disagree.
That's what we have seen today with the no confidence motion, but it is not what we are seeing on the streets where the ground rules of our democracy are being betrayed by those who have been elected by the people of India as the ruling party and they are betraying this basic ground rule. I want to say Mr Deputy Chairman, we cannot and should not stand by as communal violence, mob lynching and hooliganism replace rule of law and rights guaranteed by our constitution.
I strongly urge the PM to break his silence on the behaviour of his party men and take action against these anti-national elements who seek to abridge the freedom of speech in our democracy. Thank you."
Over 50 MPs of different parties supported the No Confidence motion moved by the opposition parties including the Congress and the TDP. The Speaker has to give a date and time for the motion to be taken up and the Parliament will wait for the Speaker's nod.
Since TDP was the first to move a no confidence motion, their motion was accepted.
In the last session of parliament the motion could not be taken up as the house was not in order at that point of time.
In 2003 Sonia Gandhi had moved a no-confidence motion against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, but the opposition did not have numbers then but rather they wanted to make a point.
Breaking News - Opposition's No-Confidence Motion Against The Modi Government Accepted In Parliament
No-confidence motion against government moved by Chandrababu Naidu's TDP in Lok Sabha accepted
Speaker says she will notify the date for discussion on no-confidence motion within a couple of days.
This is the first time since 2003, that a no-confidence motion has been moved and accepted in Parliament.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar says the opposition parties may have no-confidence on PM Narendra Modi's government, but i want to make it absolutely clear in the house that the people of the country has full confidence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
The No Confidence motion moved by the opposition parties is the first one to be moved since 2003.
Anant Kumar, the minister of parliamentary affairs said in the Lok Sabha that the opposition parties led by the Congress have moved a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Modi's government but the people of the country have full faith in PM Modi.
The no confidence motion has been accepted by the speaker of the house.
Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, on behalf of the Lok Sabha congratulates Hima Das on winning the gold medal in 400 metre women's event at IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Parliament Monsoon Session - Day 1 - Highlights Till Noon
Here is a quick 10-point update to what has happened in Parliament so far today:
- "I hope every MP, every party will make this a fruitful session. I always express this hope and make that effort. I am hoping this time too," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his remarks ahead of the session.
- The Lok Sabha got off to a noisy start as after taking oath, the opposition lawmakers staged a protest in the well of the house. In presence of the Prime Minister, the members started shouting slogans of "We want justice" - a reference to the special status demanded by Andhra Pradesh, as well as for a sudden rise in number of mob killings across the country.
- The Telugu Desam Party's notice is an extension of its row over special financial status to Andhra Pradesh that provoked Chandrababu Naidu's party to pull out of the NDA government earlier this year. The lawmakers of Andhra Pradesh's opposition YSR Congress held a protest outside parliament demanding special status for the state.
- The no-trust motion does not endanger the BJP-led government, which has 273 members in the Lok Sabha, far over the half-way mark. And then, there are its allies. But the motion is seen as an opportunity to make a point and possibly nudge fence sitters such as the Biju Janata Dal to choose a side.
- The Congress says it will support the TDP's demand for special status but would also flag other issues that impact people elsewhere in the notices it files. " We are in talks with all opposition parties and trying to mobilise them," Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters on Tuesday.
- The Congress has told the government that they wanted discussion, not disruption, in parliament. But sources said it is unlikely that the two sides can agree on what they should discuss, when and how.
- Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had a long list of issues that they want parliament to discuss, including mob lynching, woman safety, "misrule" in Jammu and Kashmir, dilution of dalit atrocity law, attempts to abolish reservation in autonomous institutions and issues of farmers, unemployment and poor investments, besides special status to Andhra Pradesh.
- BJP leaders have indicated that they were ready with their own list and would corner the Congress over its party chief Rahul Gandhi's reported statement that his party is for Muslims. Mr Gandhi had sought to counter the BJP campaign with a tweet, underscoring that he stood for the last man irrespective of his caste or religion. "This is a confession," BJP' Sambit Patra shot back, noting that the Congress leader had not come up with an explicit denial.
- Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had also attempted to blunt Mr Gandhi's push for passing the women's reservation bill, questioning if he could get other opposition parties to do the same.
- Parliament's budget session was indeed the least productive budget session in 18 years. The Lok Sabha worked for only 21 per cent of its scheduled time. The Rajya Sabha was just a shade better, at 27 per cent.
Proceedings in Rajya Sabha have begun again after a brief adjournment. The session has started with the question hour.
Parliament Monsoon Session - Day 1, So Far
Reaching out to the opposition minutes before the beginning of monsoon session of parliament today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured if any party, any member wants to discuss an issue, "we are ready to discuss it". The monsoon session which started today, promises to be action packed, with the Congress leading the no-trust offensive against the government. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party, or TDP, has given notice for a no-trust motion. The Congress said it is in talks with other parties for their support.
No Confidence motions against the government has been moved by the Congress and other opposition members such as Mallikarjun Kharge, K. C. Venugopal, Tariq Anwar. These members have moved no confidence motions like the Telugu Desam Party in the Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha session has been adjourned till 12 noon today.
According to news agency ANI, the protests in the well of the parliament have to do with recent cases of mob violence.
Classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, Author Rakesh Sinha and Sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra took their oath today as nominated members of Rajya Sabha.
Some Key Bills In Parliament's Monsoon SessionRTI Amendment Bill
Muslim Women Bill (Triple Talaq Bill)
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code bill
Transgender Persons Bill
Women's Bill (Women's Reservation Bill)
Uproar at the floor of the parliament as MPs stage a protest in the well of the house, in the Prime Minister's presence, as members protest stating, "We want justice."
A protest by YSR Congress MPs is also being staged outside the parliament demanding the special status for the state.
The question hour of the parliament has begun, in the process of which the opposition is expected to raise questions regarding fuel prices and bank fraud.
Interesting Fact from Parliament: Lok Sabha Gets WiFi
Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan made an announcement stating that the Lok Sabha will now have Wifi connectivity through which members will be able to access government websites through an intranet service.
PM Modi's Appeal As Parliament's Monsoon Session Begins
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for extensive discussion on important issues of national interest during Parliament's Monsoon Session that began today. PM Modi said he hopes all political parties will utilise the time in Parliament on productive discussions. "The government is ready for discussion on any issue raised by different political parties," he said.
The sessions began with new members to the parliament taking the oath of office, signing the Roll of Members and taking their seats in the house.
Among those who took the oath today was Smt. Tabassum Begum who was elected from the Kairana Parliamentary Constituency in Uttar Pradesh in what was a significant bypoll election.
The proceedings for the monsoon session in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have begun as scheduled.
PM Modi also said that he was confident that there will be support and positive feedback and even some criticism from opposition parties.
Emphasising the importance of parliamentary discussions, he said that the government is willing to debate any issue and a healthy debate and an amicable discussion would benefit everyone.
(Before entering parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to all parties to have a healthy debate in Parliament for any concern that they might have.) Prime Minister Modi addressing the press outside the parliament before the starting of the monsoon session said that, this is going to be a significant session of parliament... lots of key bills will be tabled... I appeal to parties to help let parliament function smoothly so that the people of the country benefit.