Tag: Prahlad Joshi

  • Opposition rejects Modi government’s invitation to resolve issue of Rajya Sabha MP suspension

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: There is no resolution in sight for the stalemate in the Rajya Sabha over the suspension of 12 MPs as a united opposition on Sunday rejected the government’s outreach to resolve the logjam.

    Top sources in the opposition said they will not attend the Monday morning meeting convened by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal as invitations were sent to leaders of the four parties whose MPs have been suspended and not to the entire opposition.

    Responding to a letter from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi inviting the four parties, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said “select invitations were unfortunate”.

    The government’s invitations have gone to the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena and the CPI(M), sources said.

    The meeting was convened at 10 am on Monday as the Winter Session of Parliament enters its final week.

    “We will not attend tomorrow’s meeting with the government as the opposition stands united in its fight,” a senior opposition leader told PTI.

    Kharge said he received a letter on Sunday evening asking leaders of the four parties, whose members in the Rajya Sabha have been suspended, to the meeting.

    “All Opposition parties are united in the protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs. We have been requesting from the evening of November 29 itself that either the chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal should call leaders of all Opposition parties for a discussion to break the stalemate,” he said.

    “This reasonable request of ours has not been agreed to. Further, inviting only leaders of four Opposition parties instead of inviting leaders of all Opposition parties is unfair and unfortunate,” Kharge said in his letter to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi.

    TMC leader Derek O’Brien tweeted, “Monday morning STUNT from a government who do not want Parliament to function.

    Government calls leaders of the four Opposition parties whose 12 RS MPs have been arbitrarily suspended.”

    “Government leaves other 10 Opposition parties out. Failed stunt. All opposition clear: First revoke arbitrary suspension,” he said on Twitter.

    A similar letter has also been sent to Joshi by CPI(M) MP Elamaram Kareem.

    “It is quite unfortunate that the government has delayed such talks with the opposition even after three weeks of the suspension. Even now the action of the government is not sincere as the meeting is meant for only the floor leaders of the suspended MPs’ parties,” he said in the letter.

    “You are well aware that the entire opposition has been taking a unified stand on this suspension issue and all the opposition parties together requested the Chairman and government to hold such a meeting to resolve the stalemate from day one.”

    He alleged that it is the government who delayed it and the decision of inviting only a section of the opposition party leaders for the meeting is “completely unfair and unacceptable”.

    “If the government is sincere in resolving this issue, I would request you to convene the meeting of all opposition parties,” Kareem said in his letter to Joshi.

    The Opposition parties have decided to meet on Monday morning to develop their joint strategy in Parliament during the last week of the Winter Session.

    The Rajya Sabha has failed to transact any significant business as the opposition is unitedly protesting in the House leading to repeated disruptions over the issue of suspensions.

    While the government wants the suspended MPs should apologise first, the opposition is saying that the suspensions be revoked without any apology.

    Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had urged the government and the opposition to resolve the deadlock over suspensions and find an amicable solution.

  • Pushkar Singh Dhami to be BJP’s CM candidate in Uttarakhand

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: BJP election committee in charge for Uttarakhand Prahlad Joshi announced that the party will contest state assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. 

    Party insiders told that Joshi had also instructed the state party leaders to not indulge in rivalry and issuing public statements against each other. 

    Earlier, state cabinet minister Harak Singh Rawat and ousted former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat have been giving statements against each other for the last few days.

    “We will be contesting state assembly elections under the leadership of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. The people of Uttarakhand will support us because they know our work,” said Joshi. 

    Last week, Harak Singh Rawat, a state cabinet minister said that he saved ousted Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat (TSR) from being sent to prison by the then CM Harish Rawat in the year 2014 in ‘Dhaincha Seed Scam’. This soon turned into a huge political storm with many big names joining in.

    Responding to this Trivendra Singh Rawat had likened Harak Singh Rawat to a donkey.

    These statements threw open the rift inside the party in public. This also set opposition on attack mode.

    A senior party leader said, “Joshi has asked the state leadership and other leaders to end the infighting and focus on elections. Strict instructions have been issued to not repeat such instance again.”

  • Centre ready to discuss issues directly related to people, Oppn behaviour unfortunate: Pralhad Joshi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Amid continuous Opposition uproar in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday said such behaviour is unfortunate and the government is ready for discussion on issues “directly related” to the people.

    Referring to protests over the Pegasus spyware row that has led to a logjam in Parliament, he said Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has already made a detailed statement on the issue in both the Houses.

    The protests are over a “non-issue, non-serious issue”, said Joshi, the parliamentary affairs minister, and urged the opposition members to allow the Lok Sabha to function.

    “There are so many issues directly related to the people of India….government is ready for discussions,” he said amid din in the Lok Sabha, adding Parliament is not being allowed to function and such behaviour is “unfortunate”.

    ALSO READ | Monsoon Session of Parliament: Centre tries to reach out, Opposition sticks to stand

    This week, the Lower House has passed some bills without much discussion as it has been rocked by protests since the Monsoon Session commenced on July 19.

    “We don’t want to pass bills without discussions,” Joshi asserted.

    As soon as the House met for the day on Friday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury sought to raise certain issues but was not allowed.

    During the Question Hour, Opposition members raised slogans and displayed placards as they protested on Pegasus spyware controversy and other issues.

    Some Opposition members were heard shouting “we want justice”.

    In the wake of the protests, Lok Sabha proceedings on Friday were adjourned till noon.

  • MPs want Parliament session cut short in view of next month’s state polls

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Amid thin attendance on the first day of the Lok Sabha, MPs sought an early conclusion of the second half of the Budget session due to Assembly elections in four states and a UT.

    While the session is scheduled to conclude on April 8 while polling begins on March 27.

    The Finance Bill and demand of grants are key business of the House to be taken up along with other legislative proposals during the session. 

    Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi told reporters that over 100 MPs have written to the Lok Sabha Speaker, seeking an early conclusion of the Budget session.

    He said whatever the Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman decide, the government will abide by it.

    Regional parties, including the TMC, DMK, AIADMK and the Left, are busy canvassing in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

    The BJP has also rushed a number of leaders to the poll-bound states.

    Also, both the Houses will revert to the normal schedule of sittings from 11 am from Tuesday, which was the norm before staggered timings were adopted to meet Covid-19 guidelines.