Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Modi on the Rafale deal yesterday in the Parliament
The Rafale debate continued in the Parliament after a heated debate yesterday between the Opposition and the ruling party. Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief and leader of the Opposition, took shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and challenged him for an one-on-one on the Rafale deal. "The PM has no guts to come to the Parliament and give answers on Rafale," the Congress president said, adding that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was "hiding" behind AIADMK members in the house. The Rajya Sabha will take up the triple talaq bill today for consideration and passing.
The Upper House will also take up for consideration and passing the National Council for Technical Education (NCTE) Amendment Bill '18, and Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Amendment Bill '18, the Appropriation (No.6) Bill '18.
Both houses saw repeated adjournments with 19 AIADMK and TDP lawmakers being suspended from the Lok Sabha for 4 days. Lok Sabha was then adjourned for the day.
Here are the Highlights of the Parliament proceedings:
Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, appealed to the members to "see to it that the House functions" as very few working days are left in the session.
He regretted that in the last 13 working days, the Upper House failed to transact any business, and added that when it came to asking for holidays there 'seemed to be a consensus' but when it came to the working of the House there "seems to be some reservations in some people's minds".
The Rajya Sabha functioned smoothly and completed the zero and question hours for the first time in this Winter Session of Parliament.
Arun Jaitley speaks in the Rajya Sabha about the Kashmir issue. He attacked the Congress, PDP and National Conference on the issue.
"Congress's mistakes hurting Kashmir. It created barriers in the state's growth." he said.
Ghulam Nabi Azad speaks on Kashmir in Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha adjourned again after protests soon after the proceedings resumed at 2pm.
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2pm after AIADMK members were suspended for the day for protesting.
M Venkaiah Naidu took strong objection to some lawmakers blaming him for not doing enough to bring the House to order for conduct of proceedings, and said he had on several occasions spoken to members to break the deadlock.
AIADMK members staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha after they were disallowed from raising the issue of planned construction of Mekedatu dam on Cauvery river in Karnataka.
Soon after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed anguish at proceedings of the House being repeatedly adjourned because of disruptions, A Navaneethakrishnan from AIADMK raised the issue of the party's 24 members in Lok Sabha being barred from attending the lower house for five days.
The AIADMK members, he said, are unable to participate in Lok Sabha proceedings.
"This is undemocratic," he said as Mr Naidu ruled that conduct in Lok Sabha cannot be discussed in the Upper House.
Demanding that the central government withdraw permission given for a detailed feasibility report (DFR) for Mekadatu dam project, he said people of Tamil Nadu are being adversely affected.
Referring to party MPs being suspended from Lok Sabha, he said, "Our people are suffering".
To this, Mr Naidu said, "People of the country are suffering" because of disruptions his party has caused in Rajya Sabha resulting in washout of proceedings on most days of current winter session of Parliament.
He said Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari came to the House on Wednesday to give a statement on the issue but could not do so due to disruptions by the party members.
The Chairman did not allow Mr Navaneethakrishnan to raise the issue any further, following which the AIADMK members walked out of the House.
Sushma Swaraj says every issue on Rafale has been clarified by Supreme Court.
Congress lawmakers walk out of Rajya Sabha.
Bills to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today:Bills for consideration and passing- The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018
- The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018
- The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018
Bill for consideration and return
- The Appropriation (No 6) Bill, 2018
Bills To Be Tabled In Lok Sabha Today :Bills for consideration and passing- The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2018
- The Aadhaar and other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2018
- The New Delhi International Arbitration Bill, 2018
- The National Medical Commission Bill, 2017
- The Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2017
- The Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2018
Discussion under Rule 193- Further discussion on issues relating to Rafale deal
- Discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country, particularly Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Odisha with special reference to cyclones Gaja, Titli etc.
Lok Sabha adjourns till 2 pm again following uproar by AIADMK and TDP members.
To Rahul Gandhi's jibe yesterday on his 4 questions, Nirmala Sitharaman said, "A student who fails in the classroom boasts and challenges from outside." She is to speak on the Rafale deal today in the Lok Sabha.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted a jibe at PM Modi saying he has "fled the Parliament."
Rajya Sabha begins Question Hour.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 12pm amid sloganeering and protests of TDP and AIADMK members over various issues.
Asaduddin Owaisi speaks in the Lok Sabha on banned channels. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, minister of information and broadcasting answers his question.
TDP members started protesting in the Well prompting the speaker Sumitra Mahajan to ask them to go back.
Proceedings begin in the Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha amid sloganeering.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till today after the opposition demanded for a select parliamentary committee for further scrutiny of the bill. The Upper House is to take the bill up for consideration and passing.
The Triple Talaq bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last week. The government considered a law on it after the Supreme Court said in August last year that the traditional method of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering Talaq thrice was "unconstitutional" and "arbitrary".