Budget Session: Both Houses of Parliament Adjourned Until 5 March
The first leg of the Budget session came to an end on 9 February.
TDP Members Stage Protest
Telugu Desam Party MPs protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue inside the Parliament complex, urging the Centre to take steps to fulfil bifurcation promises and pending issues for Andhra Pradesh.
Rajya Sabha Adjourned Over UP Fake Encounters
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm following uproar by Samajwadi Party members over alleged fake encounters in Uttar Pradesh. Over the last two days, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested nearly two dozen criminals through 15 encounters in different districts of the state.
In a recent case on 3 February, a trainee sub-inspector reportedly opened fire at two men in Sector 122 of Noida. While one man, Sunil, sustained a bullet injury in his leg, the other man Jitendra Yadav’s condition is more serious and he is currently admitted in a private hospital.
Yadav's family has alleged that he was shot in a 'fake' encounter by the police "because of our caste". The Senior Superintendent of the Police (SSP) has refuted such claims.
Amit Shah Expected to Make His Maiden RS Speech
BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Amit Shah might make his debut speech in the Upper House on 5 February, moving a Motion of Thanks to the President for his address, reported The Hindu.
Shah, who was supposed to speak in the Winter Session, did not get his turn due to frequent adjournments.
LS Mourns the Death of Kairana MP
The Lok Sabha on 5 February, mourned the death of member Hukum Singh, who represented the Kairana constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
Singh, 79, was also the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Water Resources and a member of General Purposes Committee of the Lok Sabha.
The House stood in silence for a brief while as a mark of respect for the departed soul before the proceedings were adjourned.
Amit Shah Delivers His Debut Speech in RS
BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Amit Shah delivered his debut speech in the Upper House on 5 February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House during the address.
In his speech, the BJP President said that the country was riddled with unemployment and corruption in 2013, and the BJP was given mandate to change that.
He added that the NDA Government was determined to uplift the poor, and to come in aid of the farmers.
Surprised That Shah Didn't Mention Sardar Patel in His Speech: Congress
The Upper House of the Parliament had a light-hearted moment, when Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad joked about Amit Shah not mentioning Sardar Patel in his first speech in the Rajya Sabha.
He added that Shah and other BJP leaders had talked about Sardar Patel in their election campaigning a lot and had alleged that the Congress disrespected him.
Azad added that the NDA regime has only changed the names of various schemes which were started during the UPA rule. “You even changed the name of Old India to New India,” he added.
On the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Azad said that the conditions are worse than ever, despite no war raging.
Adjournment Notices in Lok Sabha
Samajwadi Party’s MP Dharmendra Yadav gives Zero hour notice and adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over encounter of a youth in Noida on 3 February.
Meanwhile, RJD MP J P Yadav gave adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over atrocities on Mahadalits in Nandan village in Bihar's Buxar.
TMC Members Stage Protest Over Rising Petrol Prices
Members of the Trinamool Congress stage a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Parliament House premises, over prices of diesel and petrol.
The TMC also gave adjournment notices in both houses of the Parliament over the interference of the Governor in state work.
United Oppostion Boycotts Rajya Sabha
Opposition parties have boycotted Rajya Sabha alleging that the Upper House Chairman did not allow them to speak and raise issues.
Speaking to ANI, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said:
Lok Sabha Adjourned till 3.30 pm
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 3.30 pm, as noisy protests by TDP, YSRCP over special package to Andhra Pradesh continue.
BJP Issues Whip For Full Attendance to LS MPs
The ruling BJP issueed whip to its Lok Sabha MPs to be present on 7 February and 8 February.
Earlier in the day, Opposition parties have boycotted Rajya Sabha alleging that the Upper House Chairman did not allow them to speak and raise issues.
Rahul Gandhi Attacks Modi Govt Over Rafale Deal
In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the price negotiated for Rafale jets was a “state secret”.
Watch: Cong Addresses Media After ‘United Opposition’ Boycotts RS
Opposition Does Not Want 'Organised Discussion': Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accused the Congress of “manufacturing issue”, calling their boycott of the Rajya Sabha “absolutely unprecedented”. He added that the Opposition did not want an “organised discussion”.
He accused the Opposition of making an effort to get the House adjourned everyday.
Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad gives zero hour notice in Rajya Sabha over deteriorating security situation in Jammu & Kashmir.
PM Modi to Address Lok Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak in the Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President's address.
FM Assures to Help Telangana
TDP MPs, in both houses, have raised their demands on the budget allocation for the state.
Responding to their protests, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said:
Rahul Gandhi Interacts With Delegations of Cong Leaders, Workers
Reviving an old tradition of the party, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi today interacted with delegations of its leaders and workers from across the country at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters.
According to party sources, Gandhi came to the party headquarters at around 9.15 am and met delegations of workers from various states, including Delhi, Rajasthan and poll-bound Karnataka.
These delegations were listed for appointments with the party chief earlier. Easy accessibility of the Congress president was an issue of debate in the past.
The Congress chief's office at the AICC headquarters has, for several years, remained closed. It was opened once in a while when former party chief Sonia Gandhi came to attend a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting or an important event like the party's foundation day.
Watch: PM Modi Delivers Address in Lok Sabha
Even as the Prime Minister delivered his address at the Lok Sabha, the opposition raised loud slogans of “Band Karo!” and “Nahi Chalega!” in House, disrupting the proceedings.
Reacting to the opposition’s sloganeering, the PM lashed out, accusing the Congress of dividing the nation through the partition.
Meanwhile, the opposition continued to raise slogans of "Pakodebaazi band karo” – a dig on the PM’s earlier reference to pakoda-sellers.
Modi took potshots at the Congress, questioning them for talking about democracy.
"Modi Has Forgotten He is PM": Rahul Gandhi
Hitting out at the accusations levelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha address, Congress President Rahul Gandhi questioned the ruling party’s silence on the Rafale deal.
Gandhi further said that Modi had to remember that he was the Prime Minister, and should be answering questions instead of accusing the opposition.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor too criticised PM Modi for his Lok Sabha speech.
Shiv Sena Slams PM Modi's Speech
Criticising PM Modi over his Lok Sabha speech, Manisha Kayande of the Shiv Sena told ANI that the people had voted the BJP into power due to the incapability of the previous UPA government.
Congress Hits Out at BJP For Intolerance, Arrogance
The Congress in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday accused the BJP-led government of being "intolerant and full of arrogance." Congress leader Ahmed Patel said even BJP allies like the Shiv Sena, Telugu Desam or the Shiromani Akali Dal also do not seem to agree with the "rosy projections" being painted.
Rebutting BJP chief Amit Shah's comments that the NDA government was filling the space left by the erstwhile UPA regime, Sharma said in 2004, when the Vajpayee government left office, annual per capita income was Rs 24,000. In 2014, when the Manmohan Singh-led government ended its term, per capita income had risen to Rs 70,000, he said.
Congress-Mukt Bharat? You Couldn't Even Remove us in Gujarat: Anand Sharma
Congress leader Anand Sharma ridiculed the BJP government's vision of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat' in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. He claimed that the vision is anti-democratic and the people would never let it happen.
PM Speaks in Motion of Thanks to President's Address in Rajya Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a jibe at Congress leaders criticising the NDA government in Parliament.
Hitting back at Congress' claim that the NDA government has repackaged their schemes, the Prime Minister said, “You call us name changers, we are aim changers.”
Following PM Modi's claim that the Aadhaar was the brainchild of the BJP, the Opposition disrupted the House. Following the uproar, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked for decorum. He pointed out Congress leader Renuka Choudhary for sarcastically laughing, to which the Prime Minister responded, "Let Renukaji laugh, we haven't heard such laughter since Ramayana."
PM Brings Up Simultaneous Polls in RS
PM Modi brought up the idea of simultaneous elections in the Rajya Sabha citing heavy expenditure as one of the main reason for considering it.
"In 2009 Lok Sabha Elections around Rs 1,000 crore was spent, this number quadrupled in 2014," he said
Rajya Sabha Adjourned Over TDP Leaders' Protest
Three TDP MPs rushed to the Well of the House demanding for special package for Andhra Pradesh.
Agitated Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien got TDP leader CM Ramesh marshalled out and adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
Karnataka will Witness a Resurgence of Congress, Says Sonia
Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi hit out a PM Modi’s Lok Sabha speech, saying that the party’s performance in the Gujarat and Rajasthan show that ‘winds of change are coming’.
She also accused to BJP government of launching a systematic assault on institutions like the judiciary and the Parliament.
Rajya Sabha Adjourned Till 2 pm
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm after uproar by MPs over Andhra Pradesh.
Watch: Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram Addresses Rajya Sabha on Budget
Former finance minister P Chidambaram initiated the debate on Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, amidst loud protests by the BJP MPs.
Structural Reforms Will Be Beneficial in Long Run: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the narratives inherited by the BJP, and the narrative which they have now were entirely different.
He questioned if the same tax slab can be implemented for both luxuries and food items, given the size of the population that live below the poverty line.
Renuka Chowdhury Moves Privilege Motion
Congress' Renuka Chowdhury moves privilege motion in Rajya Sabha against MoS Kiren Rijiju over his Facebook post.
BJP Parliamentary Meet Likely Today
The BJP Parliamentary meeting is scheduled to take place today.
We Have Said All We Wanted to on Rafale: Ananth Kumar
Speaking to ANI after the BJP parliamentary meet, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said Amit Shah had dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s politics “undemocratic.”
Responding to the Rafale deal accusations levelled by the Congress, Kumar said that revealing too many details could harm the security of the country.
Rajya Sabha Adjourned till 2.30 pm
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2.30 pm, after TDP MPs ran towards the well of the House, holding banners in protest, reported News18.
Lok Sabha Adjourned till 5 March
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 5 March, signalling an end to the first leg of the Budget Session in the Lower House.
Odisha MP Rushed to Hospital
Odisha MP AV Swamy fell down in the Parliament premises and has been rushed to the hospital. The matter is being probed, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu told Parliament.
INC With Andhra, Says Rahul Gandhi
After the Rajya Sabha was adjourned following a ruckus by TDP members, Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted:
TMC's Derek O'Brien Attacks Centre Over Railway Budget
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien accused the Centre of "politicising" the budgetary allocation for Railways and favouring BJP-ruled states, reported PTI.
He also alleged that the government was deliberately trying to muzzle the voice of the Opposition as the ruling dispensation had no answers to the questions raised by it.
Meanwhile, the share for states such as Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal was brought down by 14, 23 and 15 percent respectively, the TMC leader added.
"Safety of railways has been compromised. People can get employment in railways. But this government is not even thinking about it," O'Brien said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Trains Guns at Congress in Rajya Sabha
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while addressing the Rajya Sabha attacked the Congress and the opposition over questions raised over the Union Budget 2018. Jaitley attacked the Congress saying that the current state of the economy and the country was a cumulative effect of the Congress’ 60-year rule.
Replying to former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram’s 12 questions posed in the session on Thursday, 8 February, he said that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2012-13 was 5.3% and 6.3% in 2013-14 under Congress, compared to 5.7% in one quarter under BJP.
He also said that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) always had unacceptable level of current account deficit but under the BJP rule it has been less than 1%. He said that the BJP government covered a journey from policy paralysis to structural reforms and from economy being in fragile five to a bright spot.
He also said that the Congress, before calling Arvind Subramanian , the Chief Economic Advisor, a ‘bad doctor’ should tell the country what their ‘good doctor’ did between 2004-2014.
Rajya Sabha Adjourned, To Meet on 5 March
After a lot of heated discussions over the Union Budget 2018, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned to meet on 5th of March for second phase of the Budget Session after nearly a month-long recess, reported ANI.
LS, RS Record High Productivity Despite Disruptions
The productivity of the Lok Sabha in terms of utilisation of time was 134.61 percent while that of Rajya Sabha was 96.31 percent in the first half of the Budget session, according to the parliamentary affairs ministry.
The first phase of the session yielded a total of seven sittings of the Lok Sabha and eight sittings of the Rajya Sabha, the ministry said.
The first leg of the Budget Session in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha drew to a close on Friday, 9 February, with both houses being adjourned till 5 March. On 8 February, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and P Chidambaram sparred in the House over the Union Budget 2018-19.
- The Budget session will resume for its second leg on 5 March
- Lok Sabha recorded 134.61% of productivity, while Rajya Sabha recorded 96.31%
- BJP President Amit Shah made his debut speech in the RS during the session
- Opposition raised slogans alleging “false promises” during PM Modi’s motion of thanks to President’s address
- Democracy not a Gandhi trademark, but India’s tradition, said PM Modi attacking the Cong in both houses
- The session also saw TDP protesting against budgetary allocation for Andhra Pradesh
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