News Analysis India

Tag: MPs

  • Parliament session: Congress upset over pro-tem speaker election, will not assist during oath-taking of MPs

    After seventh-term BJP MP Bhratruhari Mehtab was appointed as pro-tem Speaker, instead of Congress leader K Suresh, who is an eighth-term MP, the MPs of the India bloc have decided not to sit on the speaker’s chair to assist the pro-tem Speaker during the oath-taking ceremony of MPs, sources said.

    According to the sources, Congress and India Bloc parties are upset with the fact that tradition has been broken as Mehtab was made the Protem Speaker instead of the 8-time Congress MP K Suresh.

    The Congress has reacted sharply to the central government’s decision to appoint Mahtab as Pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha over senior-most Dalit MP Kodikkunnil Suresh of Congress, saying that the appointment by the BJP deviates from the traditional practice of appointing the senior member.Congress leader K Suresh said that there is an eighth-term MP in the House, but a seventh-term MP has been appointed as pro-tem Speaker.

    “We are claiming that an eighth-term MP should be the pro-tem Speaker…They have done wrong, and now the whole country is criticising the decision of the BJP government,” K Suresh said.

    Congress MP Hibi Eden said that the NDA government has violated all the traditions and customs.”There are certain customs related to the Parliament of India, and it is always the senior-most member, irrespective of the party, who is given the opportunity to become the pro-tem speaker. It is merely a matter of two days, but it is the respect given to the member, whichever party he/she is from. Unfortunately, a Dalit member, who is an 8-time MP from Kerala has been denied the right to become the pro-tem speaker. This shows the attitude of the NDA government towards the Dalit and the oppressed community of this country. They have violated all the traditions and customs… Even though this session is hardly for 8 days, it should have been in consensus with the opposition because we are representing almost 45 per cent of the country,” he said.The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will witness the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    The first session is expected to be stormy as the opposition is likely to corner the BJP-led NDA government on the election of the Speaker on June 26, discussions regarding allegations of paper leaks in NEET-UG and UGC-NET, and a row over the appointment of the pro-tem Speaker.

    President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Bhartruhari Mahtab as the pro-tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Mahtab will then call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Leader of the Lok Sabha, to take oath as a member of the House.

    On June 26, the Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected. On June 27, President Murmu is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament.

    This is the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha after the general elections, which saw the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secure 293 seats and the INDIA bloc win 234, with the Congress holding 99 of them.

    Meanwhile, the Newly Elected Congress MPs meeting is called at 10 am at the CPP office in Parliament today.

    After the alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate 2024 (NEET-UG), Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi targeted the BJP and said that they stand with the students.

    Meanwhile, BJP MP Mahtab, who has been appointed as the pro-tem Speaker, will administer the oath to newly elected members and oversee the proceedings of the House.

    President Murmu also appointed Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu, Radha Mohan Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sudip Bandyopadhyay to assist the Speaker Protem in oath taking of the newly-elected members.

    The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha will be held from June 24 and conclude on July 3 for oath/affirmation of newly elected Members. The 264th Session of Rajya Sabha will also commence on June 27 and conclude on July 3.

    Moreover, the Samajwadi Party Parliamentary meeting is to be held on Monday in Delhi. The meeting will be chaired by party National President Akhilesh Yadav.

    The last session of the 17th Lok Sabha (Budget session) was held between January 31 and February 10, 2024.

  • South Indian ministers top liabilities, assets chart in new Central government, says ADR analysis

    Three ministers from the South have the highest liabilities among the 71 newly-appointed ministers in the Central government, according to an analysis by National Election Watch (NEW) and the nonprofit Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). Andhra Pradesh’s MP from Guntur, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, tops the list with liabilities amounting to over Rs 1038 crore. Karnataka’s HD Kumaraswamy (Mandya) and V Sommana (Tumkur) are behind him , with liabilities of more than Rs 82 crore and Rs 22 crore respectively. Pemmasani and Kumaraswamy also feature among the top three MPs with the highest assets, with the former again topping the chart at assets worth more than Rs 5,705 crore, while the latter comes third with about Rs 217 crore. Among the 71 ministers, 19 are battling serious criminal charges with Bandi Sanjay Kumar of Telangana facing the highest number of such serious charges, including crimes against women. Suresh Gopi, BJP’s lone MP from Kerala, faces the fifth highest number of serious charges.

    Eleven out of 71 ministers in the new council of ministers have declared their educational qualification to be 12th standard while 57 ministers have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above. Out of these, 14 ministers have a basic university degree, while 10 have professional graduate degrees, with specialised education in fields like law, engineering, or medicine.

    With even higher qualifications, 26 ministers have post-graduate degrees, and seven have doctorates.

  • BJP forms 6-member panel to inquire Sandeshkhali sexual harassment incidents

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a six-member committee of Union Ministers and MPs to visit Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North Pargana district and collect information about the alleged incidents of sexual harassment and violence against women there.

    Union Minister Annapurna Devi has been named as the convenor of the high-level committee.

    Other members of the panel are Pratima Bhowmik, BJP MPs Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav, and Brijlal.They have been directed to visit the incident site, take stock of the situation, talk to the victims, and submit their report to BJP Party President JP Nadda.

    Nadda, in the notification, said that the alleged incidents are “heart-wrenching.”

    He further said that the incidents of harassment of women and hooliganism are “happening continuously in West Bengal” while the administration there remains a “mute spectator.””Law and order have collapsed in the entire state,” he added.Tension simmered in the Sandeshkhali area of North 24 Parganas district’s Basirhat subdivision on Tuesday during a protest by BJP workers led by state party president Sukanta Majumder against the alleged sexual harassment of women.

    Women in Sandeshkhali have been agitating for the last few days over alleged atrocities committed against them by TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides.

    Majumdar sustained injuries during the police lathicharge as a scuffle broke out between the police and party workers.

    The West Bengal government has reimposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in and around 500 metres of area in seven-gram panchayats, including Sandeshkhali.

    Sector 144 has been imposed in the area till February 19 to maintain law and order in view of the agitation by the BJP over allegations of sexual harassment by women in Sandeshkhali block.

    The political storm over the events at Bengal’s Sandeshkhali sparked violence in another part of the state on Tuesday.

    BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia slammed the West Bengal government on Wednesday over allegations of sexual harassment by women in Sandeshkhali block, and said that CM Mamata Banerjee is acting as a silent spectator.

    Addressing a press conference, Bhatia said that in West Bengal the law of the “anarchy ruler Mamata Banerjee prevails.”

    “West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is acting as a silent spectator. This is a matter of concern. This press conference highlights the lawlessness that prevails in West Bengal, where it is clear to every citizen that the rule of law does not prevail or exist, rather the law of the anarchy ruler Mamata Banerjee prevails,” he said,

    “When the perpetrator of the crime happens to be a TMC goon, the chief minister of the state doesn’t even care to uphold the dignity of the women of the state, especially Hindu women, being targeted by the goons of Sheikh Shahjahan, the absconder,” he added.

    Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister, the BJP leader alleged that West Bengal has turned into a state run by a government of rapists.

    “It will not be wrong to say that West Bengal has turned into a state where there is a government run by the rapist, of the rapist, for the rapist. Instead of standing in support of the victims, Mamata Banerjee is supporting the rapist,” Bhatia said.

    Bharatiya Janata Party IT cell head Amit Malviya took to X and slammed the West Bengal Police, accusing it of ‘pleasing’ Mamata Banerjee.

    “West Bengal police have crossed all limits. They have violated every rule in the book to please Mamata Banerjee, who is evil, and hasn’t stopped using rape and torture of Hindu women in Sandeskhali, for her politics,” he said.

    He further said that the party will not allow “women in West Bengal to become objects of lust for Mamata Banerjee’s criminal syndicate.”

    “Let Mamata Banerjee and the WB Police know that they can’t crush the BJP’s movement for justice for women in Sandeshkhali. We won’t allow women in West Bengal to become objects of lust for Mamata Banerjee’s criminal syndicate. The fight will continue,” he added.

    The Trinamool Congress has, however, blamed the BJP for trying to vitiate the atmosphere in Sandeshkhali.

    “The only motive of the BJP was to create issues and indulge in hooliganism while going to Sandeshkhali or reaching near the place. Stone pelting ensued, and people were injured there. They (BJP) say that women must be respected…Smriti Irmade instigating statements. The TMC condemns the conduct of the BJP, under the leadership of Sukanta Majumdar,” TMC Spokesperson Sashi Panja said.

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  • Congress waiting for permission to use Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal to launch Nyay Yatra

    AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal (Organisation) said that they are waiting for the permission to use the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal East district on January 14 to launch the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by party leader Rahul Gandhi.

    The Congress leaders met Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on Monday and requested him to provide permission to hold the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra launching meeting at the Hapta Kangjeibung ground.

    The Chief Secretary assured the Congress leaders that they will be informed about the granting of the permission very soon. Venugopal said that the party had applied for permission on January 2. The Yatra is not a political programme or any election campaign. “Don’t make politics by denying the permission of the ground,” the Congress leader said.

    Accompanied by Manipur state Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh (2002-2017), Venugopal told the media person that they do not want to politicise the issue as the entire country is not looking towards Manipur.

    “I am from Kerala. People from Kerala are also astonished about the grave situation prevailing in Manipur. Manipur needs justice, that’s why the Yatra will be started from this state. We want to ensure the future of Manipur and the state needs healing into its grave wound,” Venugopal said. He said that from Manipur, the Yatra will go to Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and will reach Mumbai by covering 6,500 km in 15 states. Rahul Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra, which covered 4,500 km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

    Venugopal said that a preparatory meeting was held in Imphal to mark the success of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which according to the Congress leader will be another successful event.

    “We are very hopeful that there will be no politics over this yatra. The Manipur Chief Minister should understand the importance of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and think about Manipur first and not BJP politics,” he said.

    State party chief Meghachandra said that on January 14 several leaders of the party, including chief ministers and MPs from across the country will gather in Manipur for a peaceful rally.

    Manipur is devastated by over eight month long ethnic violence between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo community and over 185 people have been killed and over 1,500 people injured and displaced over 70,000 people of both communities so far.