‘Police Weapons Not Showpiece’: Uproar in Parl After Hyd Encounter
All the live updates from Parliament’s Winter Session.
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The news of killing of the four accused in the Telangana rape and murder stirred fiery debates in the parliament on Friday, 6 December.
Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday, 4 December said the parliament condemns the horrific incident where rape survivor from Unnao was allegedly set ablaze early by five men.
Meanwhile, a day ago, MPs have unanimously decided to let go of the subsidy that they avail at the Parliament canteen, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.
- Rajya Sabha gave a nod to Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on Thursday. The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be placed in the Lok Sabha on Monday
- Lok Sabha passed Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu Bill 2019, seeking to merge the two UTs
- Rajya Sabha passed the controversial Transgender (Protection of Rights) Bill 2019 in a joint Parliament session on Constitution Day, 26 November
RS Adjourned Till Monday
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11 am on Monday, 9 November.
TRS MP Expresses Surprise Over Encounter in Telangana
TRS Parliamentary Party leader and Rajya Sabha member K Keshava Rao said they thought justice in the woman veterinarian rape and murder would be delivered through a special court, even as he expressed surprise over the alleged encounter.
The opposition BJP refrained from immediately reacting on the issue, saying it will do so after the state police chief made an official statement.
“Whatever government has to do (with regard to the encounter) it will do. (Those) four persons were killed and the people are happy. The question is if the punishment comes through the court it would have been better,” Rao told reporters in New Delhi.
“We have appointed fast-track court for the trial of the case. We thought that the judgement (from the special court) would have come in a month's time.” he added.
He continued, “We never thought that they would try to escape and this (encounter) would happen,” reported PTI.
Govt Implementing 'One Nation, One Ration Card' Facility on Pilot Basis: Mos Food
The Centre's ambitious 'One nation and one ration card' initiative is being implemented on a pilot basis in a cluster of six states, Minister of State for Food Danve Raosaheb Dadarao said in Rajya Sabha.
Responding to queries during the Question Hour, the Minister said the inter-State portability of ration card will soon be tried in one more cluster of six states.
“The 'One nation, one ration card' trial is going on in a cluster of states comprising Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The pilot will be soon done in another cluster of six states. Total 12 states will be ready,” he said, reported PTI.
Telangana Encounter Wouldn't Happen If Legal System Wasn't So Slow: Shiv Sena MP
Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, seemed emotional when he said that for many what the Telangana cops did was a “blessing” but it would not have happened if the legal system was not so slow.
“The Nirbhaya case took seven years,” he pointed out, referring to the 2012 Delhi gang-rape in which a young medical student died after she was gang-raped and tortured on a moving bus.
Police Need to Use Weapons When Accused Try to Flee: Lekhi on Hyderabad Encounter
Seeking to justify the killing of four persons accused of raping and killing a Hyderabad woman veterinarian, a BJP member in Lok Sabha said police have not been given weapons as a show piece and have to use when accused try to flee.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Meenakshi Lekhi (BJP) said police had to open fire when the accused tried to escape.
“Police ko hatiyar sajane ke liye nahin diye gaye”(Police have not been given weapons for keeping as show piece), she said, reporterd PTI.
LS Adjourned for the Day
Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day following persistent demands by members of the BJP and some other parties for an apology by two Congress MPs, accused of adopting a “threatening position” towards Union minister Smriti Irani when she was speaking on the Unnao issue, reported PTI.
Oppn Holds Meeting on Citizenship Bill, Agree on 8-Point Agenda to Counter BJP
Twelve opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the Left, held a meeting today and decided on an eight-point agenda to counter the BJP on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which is likely to be tabled in Parliament next week.
The meeting of senior Rajya Sabha members of opposition parties such as the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party, CPI and CPI(M), was held in Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad's chamber.
The leaders met twice during the day to firm up the opposition strategy on the bill, they said.
Parl to Debate Citizenship Bill Next Week; Cong to Oppose Its Passage
Notwithstanding stiff opposition, the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in Lok Sabha on 9 December and will be taken up for discussion and passage the next day.
The passage of the Bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan escaping religious persecution there, is all but certain in the House given the massive majority the BJP and its allies enjoy there. The bill was cleared by the Union cabinet on Wednesday.
BJP Issues 3-Line Whip to Its LS MPs From 9-11 Dec
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issues a three line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs for 9-11 December, reported ANI.
'People Calling Me & Govt Elitist, I Condemn It': Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Rajya Sabha said, “What was the statement given by one of the finance ministers when in 2012 price rise was high, ‘When urban middle class can buy a bottle of water for Rs 15, why do they make so much noise about price rise?’”
Sitharaman added, “These are the people accusing me and the government of being elitist. I condemn this approach.”
Rajya Sabha Nod to Lower Corporate Tax Rates
The Rajya Sabha on today gave its consent to the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, replacing an ordinance that was used to slash corporate tax rates to stimulate growth.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill and the Upper House cleared the legislation with voice vote without any changes.
As per rules, the Rajya Sabha cannot amend money bills but can recommend amendments, PTI reported.
Govt Finalising Rules to Mandate Social Media Firms to Remove Child Sexual Abuse, Terrorism Content
The government today said it is working on rules to mandate social media companies to identify and remove child sexual abuse material, rape images and content promoting terrorism without affecting privacy.
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Rajya Sabha that the government has invited public comments on its draft of amendments to the Intermediary Rules 2011 and has received public inputs on the same.
“The amendments inter alia propose that intermediaries should proactively identify and remove child sexual abuse material, rape/gang-rape imagery and contents promoting terrorism without compromising accuracy or privacy using technology-based tools and mechanism. The rules are presently being finalised,” said Prasad, PTI reported.
'If There's a Slowdown, Why Are There Traffic Jams?' Asks BJP MP
Virendra Singh Mast, BJP MP in Lok Sabha said, “To defame the nation and government people are saying that the automobile sector has slowed down. If there is a decline in automobile sales then why are there traffic jams on the roads?”
'The Bill is to Respond to Challenges Faced by Public': FM Sitharaman on Taxation Law Bill
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken initiatives one after another instead of waiting for another budget, while discussing the Taxation Law (Amendment) Bil 2019.
“The Bill is based on the developments not just in Delhi but all over the country. I met a lot of people who told me what kind of challenges they are facing, this is in response to that,” she said.
She added that the bill is to respond to what the is expected out of the government, and the concerns over US-China trade war.
Tehseen Poonawalla Stages Solo Protest Outside Par'l Complex Over Soaring Onion Price, Whisked Away by Cops
Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla started a solo protest outside the Parliament Complex at Vijay Chowk against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over rising onion prices but was whisked away by police.
As he was protesting in the media parking at Vijay Chowk, policemen surrounded him and took him to Jantar Mantar as mediapersons jostled to capture the development.
He was taken to Jantar Mantar by the police from where he later left, reported PTI.
Base Year for GDP Revised Due to Socio-Economic Changes: Rao Inderjit Singh
The government today said base year for calculating gross domestic product was changed to 2011-12 due to a change in the socio-economic environment of the country.
In a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Statistics, Programme Implementation and Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said that over the past 70 years, the base year has been changed seven times.
It was changed in 1967, 1978, 1988, 1999, 2006, 2010 and last time in 2015, when the base year was changed to 2011-12, he said.
I'm Vegetranian, Don't Know About Prices of Onions: Union Min Ashwini Choubey
“I am a vegetarian. I have never tasted an onion. So, how will a person like me know about the situation (market prices) of onions,” said Union Minister Ashwini Choubey, reported ANI.
LS Members Urge Govt to Adequately Compensate Families of Indians Killed in Sudan Tanker Blast
Several Lok Sabha members urged the government today to ensure that the bodies of the Indians killed in the Sudan tanker blast be brought back at the earliest and their families given adequate compensation.
TR Baalu of the DMK, Rajiv Pratap Rudy of the BJP and Selvaraj M of the CPI raised the issue in the House during Zero Hour.
'Strong Signal to Society Needed': Naidu Condemns Unnao Incident
Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu on woman set-ablaze in Bihar area of Unnao said, “This entire House condemns the incident. I got in contact with the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, he has explained to me that the culprits have been arrested.
“What is needed, is not mere arrest in one case. We must send out a signal to the entire country and society that in such incidents action should be taken promptly, swiftly, and adequately, so these things are not repeated again,” he added.
States Should Come up With Action Plan to Curb Digital Banking Fraud: LS Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the states should come up with an action plan to curb the rising incidents of digital banking frauds in the country after a Member of Parliament raised the issue in the House.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Arvind Kumar Sharma of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on one hand the nation was moving towards Digital India while on the other hand, such fraudulent activities were taking place.
TMC MP Raises Onion Price Rise Issue in Lok Sabha
TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay today said the Centre should ask states to ensure that there was no hoarding of onions.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Bandyopadhyay said the price of onion had reached an extreme height and it was a serious issue.
The Trinamool Congress leader said hoarding was the cause of price rise of onion and added that enforcement department should check on hoarding of onions.
He was also of the view that price monitoring division should be more active.
Bandyopadhyay termed it a failure of the government, saying rising prices had gone out of limit and “we all condemn it.”
Naidu Pulls up MPs for Low Attendance in Parliamentary Panels
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday pulled up MPs of both Houses for their low attendance in parliamentary standing committees' meetings and urged the leaders of all political parties to ensure “quantitative and qualitative functioning” of these panels.
After holding a meeting with chairpersons of these panels in the morning, Naidu said only 18 members each from both houses of Parliament attended eight Rajya Sabha committees' meetings since being reconstituted in September this year.
Sharing concern about the functioning of these committees in the Upper House, Naidu said, “I expect the number of members of this House with full attendance in the meetings of the committees to rise,” reported PTI.
Citizenship Bill to Be Introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on 9 December and will be taken up for passage the next day, official sources said on Thursday.
The bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there, will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha after being dealt with by the Lower House of Parliament.
MPs Decide to Forgo Food Subsidy at Parliament Canteen: Sources
Members of Parliament have unanimously decided to let go of the subsidy that they avail at the Parliament canteen, sources said Thursday.
The decision was taken after a suggestion from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, according to the sources.
Govt Cannot Suppress My Voice: Chidambaram
Speaking to the reporters, in the Parliament on Thursday, Chidambaram said that the government cannot suppress his voice in the House.
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