RS in Disarray Over Demands of Obituary for Nagrota Martyrs
The proceedings of the Upper and the Lower Houses have remained largely stagnant.
The Rajya Sabha resumed with demands of obituary references for the martyred Nagrota soldiers and apology from PM Modi for his comments on the opposition.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien said that the opposition wants to hold a debate but only when PM Modi has tendered an apology to the Opposition.
Rajya Sabha speaker PJ Kurien said the obituary will be given at an appropriate time.
Dissatisfied with the Speaker’s response the Opposition started sloganeering to “Jai jawan, jai kisaan.”
Kurien finally adjourned the House till Thursday.
Despite the Speaker’s best efforts to to keep the Lok Sabha running amidst the commotion, the lower House has been adjourned till Thursday.
It is a Financial Emergency: Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee spoke in a rally in Patna on Wednesday and said that the current situation is worse than emergency. She went on to call it a financial emrgency.
She called PM Modi the "bigg boss" of Big Bazar.
She said that the women used to save money but the PM has taken it away.
Sumitra Mahajan Clarifies Not Making Obituary Reference Was Her Decision
In the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that the opposition’s criticism for not making an obituary reference was not directed at her but at the government.
To this, the Speaker said that the decision to hold the obituary reference until the combing operation was over was “entirely my (her) decision, not the government’s”.
While the opposition wanted to raise the Nagrota attack issue under Rule 56, which allows an MP to raise an urgent issue, the government demanded that the issue be raised under Rule 193. According to this rule, any member who wants raise a discussion on a matter of urgent public importance will have to give notice in writing to the LS Secretary-General.
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm after an uproar in the House as the opposition raised the Nagrota attack and demonetisation issue.
Parliament Didn’t Honour Martyrs: Rahul Gandhi
Outside Parliament, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi told media persons:
Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu criticised the opposition for halting the proceedings of Parliament despite the fact that the Prime Minister was present in the House as per the demands of the opposition.
Opposition Raises Nagrota and Demonetisation
The opposition raised the Nagrota attack in Rajya Sabha. To this, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government is ready to talk about it.
Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP MP Mayawati and JDU MP Sharad Yadav then asked the government to acknowledge the deaths caused by demonetisation.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned as the MPs started raising slogans saying “Modi teri tanashahi nahin chalegi” and “Sharam karo, sharam karo”.
PM Modi In Lok Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the Lok Sabha during question hour.
The Opposition demanded information on the Nagrota attack and created a commotion, maintaining that the martyred soldiers had been insulted. The Opposition, led by the Congress, then staged a walk-out. Due to the uproar, Lok Sabha was adjourned.
Mayawati Protests Against Amendment in I-T Bill
BSP supremo Mayawati told mediapersons that her agenda in the Parliament for Wednesday will be to protest against the passage of the Taxation Laws Bill in the Lower House.
Before the parliamentary session commenced, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu requested the Opposition to engage in discussions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired meetings with top Ministers in his chamber in Parliament, in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Ananth Kumar.
Disarray Over Nagrota Attack
Discussions on the Nagrota terror attack, which left seven Indian army personnel dead, are expected in the parliamentary session on Wednesday.
The proceedings of the Upper and the Lower Houses have remained largely stagnant, as the Opposition continued to create a ruckus, demanding that the Prime Minister speaks on the issue of demonetisation.
Criticising Modi’s absence in the parliamentary session, Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi said:
The Taxation Laws Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha despite MPs raising loud slogans against the BJP-led government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked BJP ministers and MPs to submit their bank statements for the period from 8 November to 31 December to party chief Amit Shah by 1 January 2017.
Wednesday Highlights
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
- Banks have put an internal limit on cash withdrawals as they brace for pay day. Additionally, banks have also asked employers to pay their staff’s salary using prepaid cards instead of cash.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)-operated currency presses will start printing the new Rs 500 notes on Wednesday even as the two government-owned presses run behind schedule, Livemint reported.
- According to PTI, The RBI restricted the withdrawal limit from Jan Dhan accounts up to Rs 10,000 per month.
- Fully KYC complaint a/c holders may be allowed to withdraw Rs 10,000 in a month after banks ascertain the genuineness of such withdrawals, ANI reported.
- Opposition parties to hold a meeting in Parliament ahead of Wednesday's session.
- A cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place later on Wednesday.
- 39,000 ATMs of SBI have been recalibrated. Cash arrangements “are in place with respect to salary accounts”, News18 quoted SBI as saying.
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