News Analysis India

Tag: Parliament

  • Police’s request to reduce people gathering for Parliament protest has been declined: Farmer leader

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Sunday asked farmer unions to reduce the number of people who would gather in front of Parliament to protest against three agri laws from July 22, but it has been declined, a farm union leader said.

    “We informed police that every day 200 farmers will go to Parliament from the Singhu border during the Monsoon Session. It will be a peaceful protest and protesters will have identification badges also,” Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh national president Shiv Kumar Kakka said.

    The Monsoon Session of Parliament will start on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on August 13.

    Every detail about each protester will be given to police, including a demonstrator’s Aadhaar card and mobile phone number, he said.

    Police have offered an alternative place for the demonstration and have asked unions to reduce the number of protesters.

    This request of the police has been declined by farmer leaders, Kakka said.

    The Delhi Police will give its reply on Monday and the timing of the protest will also be decided, he said.

    “We asked them to review their decision due to the ongoing Covid situation and DDMA guidelines. We informed them that we have not allowed people to gather or demonstrate. No permit has been given yet. Further communication will take place accordingly,” a senior police officer said.

    Farmers have been protesting against the central laws since November last year at Delhi border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

    The legislations were enacted in September last year.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions spearheading the stir against the central laws, has planned that around 200 farmers will protests outside Parliament every day during the period of the Monsoon session.

    A tractor parade in Delhi on January 26, that was to highlight the demands of the farmer unions to repeal the, had dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital as thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with the police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

    The SKM had earlier said at a press conference that two days before the Monsoon session begins, a “chetavani patra” (warning letter) will be issued to all opposition MPs to protest the farm laws inside the House.

    Farmers agitating against the three farm laws claim that the legislations will do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

    Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two parties.

  • Government ready for healthy, meaningful discussion in Parliament: PM at all-party meet

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told an all-party meeting, ahead of the Monsoon session, that the government was ready for a healthy and meaningful discussion on various issues in Parliament.

    Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi quoted the prime minister at the meeting to say that floor leaders were told that the government was ready for a healthy and meaningful discussion on various issues raised as per rules and procedures.

    An official statement later said the prime minister told the floor leaders that according to the country’s traditions of healthy democracy, issues concerning the people should be raised in an amicable manner and the government should be given an opportunity to respond to these discussions.

    Modi said it is everyone’s responsibility to create such a conducive environment and added that people’s representatives truly know the ground-level situation, hence their participation in these discussions enriches the decision-making process.

    Modi, according to the statement, called for healthy discussions in Parliament and sought the cooperation of leaders of all political parties.

    He expressed hope that the sessions run smoothly and complete the business.

    He also expressed his condolences on the loss of lives due to COVID-19 pandemic.

    The prime minister said as most of the parliamentarians have been vaccinated, it will help undertake legislative activities in Parliament in more confident environs.

    “Took part in the all-party meeting before the start of Parliament’s Monsoon Session.

    We look forward to a productive session where all issues can be debated as well as discussed in a constructive manner,” Modi later tweeted.

    At the meet, opposition parties objected to the government’s offer of a joint address by the prime minister on the Covid situation to MPs of both the Houses on Tuesday in the Parliament House Annexe, alleging it was another way of bypassing parliamentary norms.

    At the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi announced that Modi will address MPs of both the Houses on July 20 and speak on the pandemic.

    “Parliament is in session. Come to the floor of the House,” said TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien who attended the meeting.

    Sources in other opposition parties confirmed that the leaders refused Joshi’s offer and some even suggested a joint sitting of the two Houses in Central Hall.

    CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the party’s position has always been that when Parliament is in session, whatever the government has to say, it can do so on the floor of the House.

    “It is highly irregular for the government to do this. When the Parliament is in session, any address or presentation the government wants to make, it has to be done from inside Parliament,” said Yechury.

    O’Brien claimed that all opposition leaders present in the meeting, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav, BSP’s Satish Misra, refused to be addressed outside Parliament.

    At the meeting attended by 33 parties, the prime minister said suggestions from public representatives, especially from the opposition, are valuable as they make the discussion rich.

    Besides Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister and Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi were present on the occasion.

    Floor leaders of all prominent opposition parties, including O’ Brien from the TMC, Tiruchi Siva from the DMK, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP’s Satish Mishra were also present.

    Apna Dal leader and NDA ally Anupriya Patel and LJP leader Pashupati Paras also attended the meeting.

    The Monsoon Session of Parliament will start from Monday and is scheduled to conclude on August 13.

    A total of 19 sittings are planned On day one of the session, Modi will introduce the newly inducted ministers in both the Houses.

    It is the convention that after the formation of a new government or an expansion or reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers, the prime minister introduces new ministers in both the Houses.

    There was a major rejig in the Union Council of Ministers recently.

    While several new faces were inducted, some ministers were elevated to the Cabinet rank and portfolios of some others were changed.

    Some new members who recently entered Lok Sabha following bypolls would also take oath as members of the lower house on Monday.

  • Opposition parties to give adjournment notice in Parliament over farmers’ issues: RSP leader Premachandran

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Several opposition parties will move adjournment notices in both Houses of Parliament on Monday over farmers’ issues, RSP leader N K Premachandran said here.

    Opposition parties held a separate meeting after an all-party meet convened by the government on Sunday, a day ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

    The opposition meeting was attended by leaders of the Congress, TMC, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, Shiv Sena and the AAP.

    The farmers’ protest against the three agri laws and the rising prices of petrol and diesel are the most important issues right now, and these will be raised by the opposition during the session, Premachandran said.

    Many opposition parties will give adjournment notices on the farmers’ issue in both Houses of Parliament, he added.

    Sources said several opposition parties are also planning to give an adjournment notice over alleged phone tapping of their leaders.

    Earlier in the day, TMC leader Derek O’ Brien, responding to a tweet by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, alleged that phones of many opposition leaders were tapped.

    “Strong rumour that this evening IST, Washington Post & London Guardian are publishing a report exposing the hiring of an Israeli firm Pegasus, for tapping phones of Modi’s Cabinet Ministers, RSS leaders, SC judges, & journalists. If I get this confirmed I will publish the list,” Swamy tweeted.

    The Monsoon session is scheduled to continue till August 13.

  • Opposition parties to give adjouarnment notice in Parliament over farmers’ issues: RSP leader Premachandran

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Several opposition parties will move adjournment notices in both Houses of Parliament on Monday over farmers’ issues, RSP leader N K Premachandran said here.

    Opposition parties held a separate meeting after an all-party meet convened by the government on Sunday, a day ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

    The opposition meeting was attended by leaders of the Congress, TMC, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, Shiv Sena and the AAP.

    The farmers’ protest against the three agri laws and the rising prices of petrol and diesel are the most important issues right now, and these will be raised by the opposition during the session, Premachandran said.

    Many opposition parties will give adjournment notices on the farmers’ issue in both Houses of Parliament, he added.

    Sources said several opposition parties are also planning to give an adjournment notice over alleged phone tapping of their leaders.

    Earlier in the day, TMC leader Derek O’ Brien, responding to a tweet by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, alleged that phones of many opposition leaders were tapped.

    “Strong rumour that this evening IST, Washington Post & London Guardian are publishing a report exposing the hiring of an Israeli firm Pegasus, for tapping phones of Modi’s Cabinet Ministers, RSS leaders, SC judges, & journalists. If I get this confirmed I will publish the list,” Swamy tweeted.

    The Monsoon session is scheduled to continue till August 13.

  • Govt holds all-party meeting ahead of Monsoon session of Parliament

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day before the Monsoon session of Parliament begins, the government on Sunday held an all-party meeting that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and floor leaders of various political parties.

    Besides Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister and Leader of House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi were present at the meeting.

    Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also attended the meeting.

    Floor leaders of all prominent opposition parties, including Derek O’ Brien from TMC, Tiruchi Siva from DMK, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP’s Satish Mishra were also present.

    Apna Dal leader and NDA ally Anupriya Patel and LJP leader Pashupati Paras also attended the meeting.

    The Monsoon session of Parliament will start from Monday and is scheduled to conclude on August 13.

    On day one of the session, the prime minister will introduce the newly inducted ministers to both the Houses.

    It is the convention that after the formation of a new government or an expansion or reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers, the prime minister introduces new ministers in both the Houses.

    There was a major rejig in the Union Council of Ministers recently.

    While several new faces were inducted, some ministers were elevated to the Cabinet rank and portfolios of some others were changed.

    Some new members who recently entered Lok Sabha following bypolls would also take oath as members of the lower house on Monday.

  • Delhi Police to meet farmers’ delegation on Sunday ahead of planned Parliament protest

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Officials of the Delhi Police will meet a delegation of farmers on Sunday ahead of their planned protest in front of parliament during its monsoon session to demand scrapping of the contentious farm laws and a legal guarantee on MSP.

    The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions, has planned that around 200 farmers will hold protests outside parliament every day during the monsoon session.

    The leaders have not commented on whether they have permission to hold demonstrations outside parliament but have maintained that the protests will be “peaceful”.

    A tractor parade in Delhi on January 26, that was to highlight the demands of farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws, had dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital as thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with the police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

    A senior police officer said the meeting will take place with a delegation of farmers on Sunday before their proposed protest.

    During the meeting, police officials may suggest alternative venues in Delhi for the protest, but nothing concrete has been planned yet.

    The SKM had earlier said at a press conference that two days before the monsoon session begins, a “chetavani patra” (warning letter) will be issued to all opposition MPs to protest the farm laws inside the House.

    Thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating at the Delhi borders against the three farm laws that they claim will do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

    Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two parties.

  • Government plans to introduce 17 bills in Monsoon session, including three to replace ordinances

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government has listed 17 new bills for introduction in the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 19.

    Three of the bills seek to replace ordinances issued recently.

    Once a session starts an ordinance has to be passed as a bill within 42 days or six weeks, else it lapses.

    One of the ordinances was issued on June 30 prohibiting any agitation and strike by anyone engaged in the essential defence services.

    The Essential Defence Services Ordinance 2021 came in the backdrop of the announcement by major federations of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to go on indefinite strike from the later part of July to protest the government’s decision to corporatise the OFB.

    The Essential Defence Service Bill, 2021 has been listed to replace the ordinance, according to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued on July 12.

    The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021 is another bill that seeks to replace an ordinance.

    According to the government, the ordinance was brought to provide a permanent solution and establish a self-regulated, democratically monitored mechanism for tackling air pollution in the NCR and adjoining areas, rather than limited ad-hoc measures.

    The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2021 also seeks to replace an ordinance issued recently.

    The proposed bill seeks to provide speedier, cost-effective, semi-formal and less disruptive framework for insolvency resolution of corporate debtors in distress.

    The government has also listed The Indian Antarctica Bill, 2021 for introduction.

    The proposed bill seeks to provide a harmonious policy and regulatory framework for India’s Antarctic activities and to provide national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystem as per the Antarctic Treaty, according to the details available in the Lok Sabha bulletin.

    The Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to make the system of laying of pipelines for transportation of Petroleum and Minerals, robust.

    The government has also listed ‘The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ fr introduction in the session.

    “The proposed amendments entail de-licensing of the distribution business and bring in competition, the appointment of a member from law background in every Commission, strengthening of APTEL, penalty for non-compliance of RPO, prescribing rights and duties of consumers,” according to details available in the bulletin.

    The proposed ‘The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 listed for introduction seeks to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

    It is aimed at providing care, protection, assistance and rehabilitation to the victims, while respecting their rights, and creating a supportive legal, economic and social environment for them, and also to ensure prosecution of offenders.

    According to the financial business listed in the bulletin, there would be a presentation, discussion and voting on Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2021-22.

    There would also be a presentation, discussion and voting on Excess Demands for Grants for the year 2017-18.

    Six other bills are pending in various stages before the two Houses and parliamentary panels.

  • Extend time for giving suggestions on draft anti-trafficking bill: Activists to govt

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Activists and civil society groups have asked the government to extend the time for submitting comments on the draft anti-trafficking bill by four weeks, saying the 10-day period originally provided by it does not do justice to the subject’s complexity and importance.

    The Ministry of Women and Child Development put the Draft Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 in the public domain on July 4 to invite suggestions from stakeholders.

    The last date for offering suggestions and comments is July 14.

    In the letter to the Women and Child Development Ministry, 80 civil society groups, health and social activists said, “The short notice given by the MWCD for submitting feedback does not do justice to the complexity and importance of the subject.”

    They said they are concerned that the draft bill conflates trafficking in persons with sex work, which may have significant consequences for the community.

    “Our members, partners would like the opportunity to examine the bill and its clauses carefully in order to make comments and suggestions to the government.

    “The tight deadline given by the MWCD does not allow us to communicate and consult with our groups and network, which are spread across the country including in towns and cities that are still under lockdown or restricted movement orders on account of the second wave of COVID-19.

    Since the draft bill is only available in English, we also need time to factor in translation in regional languages,” they added.

    The draft bill proposes severe punishments for aggravated forms of trafficking.

    The ministry has said the objective of the bill is to prevent and counter trafficking in persons, especially women and children, to provide care, protection and rehabilitation to the victims while respecting their rights and creating a supportive legal, economic and social environment for them.

    It also seeks to ensure prosecution of offenders and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

    Once finalised, the bill will be sent to the Union Cabinet for approval and then tabled in Parliament for passage.

    It will apply to every offence of trafficking in persons with cross-border implications.

    According to the draft bill, a person guilty of an offence of trafficking can be imprisoned for a term which shall not be less than seven years but may extend up to 10 years.

    Such a person shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than Rs 1 lakh but may extend up to Rs 5 lakh.

  • BJP huddles before Monsoon session as Opposition set to corner Modi government in Parliament

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Top BJP leaders and Union ministers, including party president J P Nadda, Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, held a meeting to discuss matters related to the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament and frame the party’s strategy to counter the opposition, sources said.

    The meeting was held at Union Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence, they said.

    The Monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to start from July 19, will be the first session after the second wave of COVID-19, which was far more worse than the first.

    The opposition is expected to rake up this issue and launch a scathing attack on the government.

    Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Bhupender Yadav and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and ministers of state Arjun Ram Meghwal and V Muraleedharan, among others, were present in the meeting.

    Besides them, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also attended the meet.

    The BJP leaders held wide ranging discussions on the party’s floor strategy for the upcoming session and also to ensure the passage of important bills and financial business including Supplementary Demands for Grants, the sources said.

    With the opposition being exuberant after the BJP’s defeat in the assembly election in West Bengal and planning to raise issues related to the second wave of COVID-19, the BJP wants to further fine tune its strategy so that it can effectively counter the opposition while at the same convincingly put forward its case, they said.

    The meeting lasted for more than an hour at Singh’s residence who also chairs the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and is deputy leader of the BJP in Lok Sabha.

    Around 17 bills are listed for introduction in Lok Sabha, including and five bills for consideration and passage, and a similar number of bills are expected to be introduced in Rajya Sabha as well.

  • Take up farmers’ demands in Parliament before any other business: Samyukt Kisan Morcha asks Opposition parties

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Tuesday said that it will press the opposition parties to ensure that the farmers’ demands on the three new agri laws and MSP are addressed in Parliament before any other business is transacted during the upcoming Monsoon session.

    The umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions that is spearheading the agitation for the scrapping of the central agri laws said the preparation for their planned protests at the Parliament from July 22 is in full swing.

    “Farmers and leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and even from distant states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka are arriving at the borders of Delhi to participate in the protest.

    “As planned by SKM, the protest will be planned and executed methodically and peacefully, with 200 farmers participating in the protest every day,” it said.

    The SKM said that any attempt to stop the farmers from protesting “will be illegal and unconstitutional”.

    The amalgam said it will issue letters to all the opposition MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on July 17 as a precursor to the protest on July 22, “demanding that they raise the demands of the farmers in Parliament and ensure that these demands are discussed and met before any other business is transacted in Parliament,” it said.

    Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for over seven months.

    They are demanding a rollback of the three contentious agri laws and also seeking a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

    Most of the opposition parties have openly supported the farmers’ agitation.

    The three laws – The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 – were passed by Parliament in September last year.

    The Centre has offered to amend the laws but has ruled out their scrapping.