The Opposition parties, including the Congress, on Thursday, 19 July, staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha, in response to Home Minister Rajnath Singh's comments on mob lynchings. Singh condemned the recent lynchings but also said state governments should do more to maintain law and order. He said the Centre had issued an advisory on the matter in 2016, and another one recently.
- Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP over the proposed amendments to the RTI Act
- Opposition leaders jeered at BJP’s Jayant Sinha for feting lynching convicts
- Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted a no-trust motion against the government on Wednesday
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Diwakar Reddy Agrees to Attend Parliament
Anantapuramu MP Diwakar Reddy has agreed to attend the parliamentary proceedings on Friday.
According to PTI, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu spoke to reddy over the phone and managed to convince him to attend the house.
Chandrababu Naidu spoke to Reddy over phone this evening and explained that the no-trust motion is critical for the future of the state.TDP statement
Trouble Brewing in TDP? MP Says Will Stay Away from Parliament During No-Trust Motion
Ahead of the debate on the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha on Friday, trouble seems to be brewing in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with one of its lawmakers announcing that he would not attend the House proceedings.
Anantapuramu MP JC Diwakar Reddy, who did not attend Parliament on Wednesday, said he would continue to stay away when the no-trust motion moved by the TDP is taken up for discussion, and also during the entire Monsoon session.
The party has issued a whip directing all its MPs to attend Parliament on Friday and Monday. Reddy said it doesn't matter even if a whip was issued.
This is just a routine. The government is not going to fall anyway. And I cannot speak English or Hindi. So my presence or absence doesn’t matter. There are others who are well-versed in English and can speak well.TDP MP Diwakar Reddy
The MP, known for his outspoken attitude, is said to be sulking over the party leadership's non-committal stance over allocation of ticket for the next election from Anantapuramu.
Reddy had previously announced he would retire from electoral politics.
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is expected to speak to Reddy when he holds the daily tele-conference with party leaders on Thursday.
(PTI)
Shiv Sena to Vote Against No-Confidence Motion
While the Opposition mounted pressure on the BJP in the Parliament, the Shiv Sena directed its MPs to support the NDA government during the trust vote on 20 July.
Congress Calls Centre's War on Black Money a Sham
The Congress party on Thursday targeted the BJP over its failure to curb corruption and black money.
Congress MP Anand Sharma, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, said that government was using various investigation agencies to target Opposition leaders.
The CBI and Enforcement Directorate are being used by the government to target our leaders. "Are there two laws in the nation? One implemented from the political point of view for political rivals and the other for your own people who face serious allegations?"
The Centre, Sharma said, had misled the entire nation, and the government's crackdown on the blackmoney was a sham.
Sharma also questioned the government why Lokpal had not been appointed even four years after BJP came to power.