Parliament Winter Session Live Updates: Borders Shrinking, Minorities Targeted, Says Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said voters in Uttar Pradesh were not allowed to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, alleging that they were stopped by the police.

He also said that the BJP does not respect Indian voters.

Criticising the number of mosque surveys in the recent past, Kannauj MP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said those looking for temples under mosques don't want peace.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Constitution has kept India secure and united and is the soul of democracy. Speaking during the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, he raised doubts on the security along the borders, state of economy and internal safety of citizens. Referring to the alleged Chinese transgressions, he said India's borders are shrinking.

Mr Yadav said efforts are being made to make the country's 20 crore minorities, especially Muslims, second class citizens. "Caste census will bridge gap among castes. Whenever we get opportunity, we will conduct caste census," he said.

Speaking during the Constitution debate, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Constitution gave the people the hope to fight for justice.

The Wayanad MP mentioned her meetings with families of the Unnao rape victim and Sambhal violence victims," she said the Constitution is a protection shield.

She accused the ruling coalition of breaking the social and economic shield provided by the Constitution. "If the Lok Sabha results had not been such, they would've started changing the Constitution," she said.

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in her debut speech, said the Constitution was born from a n ages-old tradition of discussion and debate. 

She said the independence movement was a democratic voice, from which the voice that emerged was the Constitution. "The Constitution is not just a document. Ambedkar, Maulana Azad, Rajgopalachary, Nehru and all leaders of the time dedicated years to write the Constitution," she said.

She went on to say that the Constitution gave a citizen hope of justice, and the power to form and fall governments.

Defence Mnister Rajnath Singh said in a jibe at Congress that the party that undermined the Constitution talks about protecting it.

"Opposition leaders have been raised thinking Constitution can be in their pocket. BJP bows its head to Constitution," he said. 

He added that the party always used Constitution as a means to achieve political gains. "They never digested the 'Independence' and 'Autonomy' of the institutions. They always worked to create a 'Committed Judiciary, Committed Bureaucracy and Committed Institutions'," Rajnath Singh said.

Underlining the Supreme Court's role in protecting the spirit of the Constitution, said the top court is the 'Custodian' and 'Interpreter' of the Constitution.

"I would like to quote a line from the autobiography of former Supreme Court Justice H.R. Khanna, 'Neither Roses Nor Thorns', in which he has clearly written, 'I told my younger sister, Santosh, I have prepared a judgment which is going to cost me the Chief Justiceship of India'. Most of you would know the context of this incident and these lines that happened in the year 1976. Justice HR Khanna had given a 'Dissenting Judgment' against the then Congress government in the 'ADM Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla' case. Similarly, in 1973, ignoring all constitutional values, the then Congress government superseded Justice JM Shelat, KS Hegde and AN Grover and appointed the fourth most senior judge as the Chief Justice of India. These three judges had only one crime, that they did not bow down to the government, those three judges had tried to limit the powers of a dictatorial government within the constitutional limits," he said.

He added that his nephew Justice Sanjiv Khanna has been elevated as the Chief Justice of India now.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Whenever the constitution is discussed, we talk about the 'Founding Fathers'. But today I also want to pay my tribute to the 'Founding Mothers' of the Indian Republic, whose contribution in the making of the constitution is as important as that of our 'Founding Fathers'."

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said a fake narrative on the Constitution has been created.

"Our Constitution is progressive. It is inclusive. It is transformative. Our Constitution has given us a blueprint to build a society where there is harmony, goodwill and prosperity in every way. Where birth identity does not matter to achieve the top post in the country," he said.

His statement caused a brief uproar among the Opposition benches.

"The role of many in drafting the Constitution was muted out. It was born out of the sacred fire of the Independence movement, it's roots were nourished by the blood of soldiers. 

Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar is encouraging the ruling side's unruliness.

In the Parliament, Jaishankar also said that for India to have good relations with Pakistan, the neighbouring country needs to show they are free of terrorists.

Responding to questions on India's Neighbourhood First Policy, he said the development projects, trade volume and exchanges with neighbours, barring Pakistan and China, answers if other countries have an "India first" policy.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the ruling dispensation of Bangladesh is expected to ensure the safety of minorities.

Speaking during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha amid reports of attacks of Hindus in the neighbouring country, he said the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh is a matter of concern.

His statement comes a day after a student from Bangladesh swam across a river and entered India illegally, while a seventeen-year-old Hindu girl ran through the night and crossed over to the Indian side because she was being targeted for being an ISKCON devotee.

Bangladesh on Tuesday acknowledged 88 incidents of communal violence against minorities, primarily Hindus, following the ouster of then-premier Sheikh Hasina in August.

Opposition parties submit notice in Rajya Sabha for Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav's impeachment for his 'controversial remarks'

'Jai Bharat, Jai Samvidhan' (hail India, hail Constitution), Congress MP from Rae Bareli had said after taking oath in the Lower House earlier this year.

With a pocket copy of he Constitution in hand, many MPs from the Congress and other Opposition parties followed suit.

INDIA bloc leaders also held up copies of the Constitution as Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to take oath as the Leader of the House on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session.

In fact, Speaker Om Birla chided Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor for his oath with "Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan", kicking up a row.

With the Lok Sabha set to hold a debate on the Constitution during a ruckus-hit session, will the House finally see a productive day?

The Lok Sabha will hold a two-day debate from noon today to mark 75 years of the Constitution. This is assuming a House torn by a BJP-Congress war - over alleged Sonia Gandhi-George Soros links and the US' Adani indictment - functions normally.

The 2001 Parliament attack was carried out by five armed terrorists but personnel from Parliament Security Service, CRPF and Delhi Police foiled the attack as no terrorist was able to enter the building.

Six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, a gardener and a TV video journalist were killed in the attack.

All five terrorists were gunned down in the forecourt of the then Parliament building.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, several Union ministers and MPs paid floral tributes to those who laid down their lives in the 2001 terror attack on Parliament 23 years ago.

CISF personnel offered salute or 'salami' at the venue after a which a moment of silence was observed to mark the anniversary.

Ahead of the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that many autonomous bodies are being misused, adding that the governance in the country is not good.

"We have put this condition that there should be a discussion on the Constitution. Many unconstitutional things are going on, many autonomous bodies are being misused, the governance in the country is not good, so we want a debate so that everyone can know how the governance is going on," Kharge told ANI.

When asked about 'One Nation, One Election', the Congress president said that they will see what is in the bill and then they will react to it.

Eighty-six Indian nationals were attacked or murdered in various countries in 2023, the government informed the Parliament.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the data in a written response to a query. In 2023, out of the 86 Indian nationals who were attacked or murdered, the figures for the US stood at 12, while it was 10 each for Canada, the UK and Saudi Arabia, as per the data shared.

The Rajya Sabha will hold a debate on the Constitution on December 16 and 17, and Prime Minister Modi is expected to reply to it on Tuesday in the Upper House.

The debate on the Constitution has been the key demand of the opposition for the Winter Session of Parliament.

Ahead of the two-day debate, Prime Minister Modi held a strategy meet, which was attended among others by Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh besides BJP president J P Nadda.

The opposition Congress also held a strategy meeting at the party headquarters which was attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi besides other senior leaders, including K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, to plan for the strategy in Parliament for the upcoming week.

The Lok Sabha will begin a two-day debate on the Constitution to mark the beginning of the 75th year of its adoption in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to reply to the two-day debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, sources told PTI.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to initiate a similar debate in the Rajya Sabha, said government sources.

The discussions will begin after the Question Hour, which is also listed in the agenda of the lower house.

India remains "concerned" at the evolving situation in West Asia and attacks against commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea threaten freedom of navigation and "impact our trade", the government informed the Parliament.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query also said the government has "raised the issue" with the countries in the region and the Indian Missions are "closely monitoring" the situation to mitigate its impact.

He was asked about the details of special measures that are being taken by the government to safeguard India's energy security in view of the possible disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea due to the Israel-Iran conflict and the diplomatic efforts being made by the government to mitigate the impact of this conflict on India's trade routes, especially the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

A survey undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) through its various field offices revealed that 18 protected monuments and sites are "not in good state of preservation", the government informed the Parliament.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha.

The performance audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India had in 2013 stated that 92 protected monuments were found missing, but 74 of them have been traced, the Centre had informed the Parliament in December 2023.

"During the survey field offices of the ASI noticed pressure due to rapid urbanisation as one the major challenges impacting monuments," he said.

Further, watch and ward is provided at monuments through multi-tasking staff, private security guards and CISF. Besides, periodic inspections are also undertaken, he added.

Due to heavy rainfall in September this year in Agra region, "few water droplets" were noticed on September 12 through the ceiling of the main mausoleum of Taj Mahal, the government informed Parliament.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha. "This year, there was continuous rainfall for more than three days from 10th to 12th September, 2024 in Agra region. Due to this heavy rainfall, few water droplets were noticed on 12.09.2024 through the ceiling of main mausoleum of Taj Mahal," the Union minister said in his response.

"After detailed inspection using LiDAR and thermal scanning preventive measures were taken immediately by sealing the joints and gaps to stop water penetrations," he said.