News Analysis India

Tag: Upper House

  • 54 MPs including ex-PM Manmohan Singh, 9 Union ministers retiring from Rajya Sabha

    As many as 54 members of the Rajya Sabha including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and nine union ministers are set to retire on Tuesday and Wednesday with some not returning to the Upper House. Former prime minister Singh ends his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (April 3), just as former party chief Sonia Gandhi will enter the Upper House of Parliament for the first time.

    Singh, who is known for ushering in several bold reforms in the economy, became a member of the House for the first time in October 1991. He was the finance minister in the Narasimha Rao government from 1991 to 1996 and the prime minister from 2004 to 2014.

    Sonia Gandhi will enter the Upper House for the first time from Rajasthan, filling the seat that will fall vacant after 91-year-old Singh completes his tenure on April 3. Seven Union ministers — Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Purshottam Rupala, Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Narayan Rane and MoS Information and Broadcasting L Murugan — end their tenure in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

    Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will end their tenure on Wednesday.

    All these Union ministers, except Vaishnaw, are contesting the Lok Sabha elections and have not been given another term in the Upper House. Vaishnaw and Murugan have been given another Rajya Sabha term. As many as 49 members are retiring on Tuesday (April 2), while five are retiring on Wednesday (April 3).

    Of those retiring from the Upper House include Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan who has been renominated to the Council of States by her party for another term. So is Manoj Kumar Jha, who has been renominated by his party RJD for another term in the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, and Naseer Hussain (Congress), who has been renominated from Karnataka.

    Abhishek Singhvi of the Congress party, whose tenure in Rajya Sabha ends today will not be in the upper house as he lost his election from Himachal Pradesh.

    Among others who will be retiring include BJP’s national media in-charge Anil Baluni, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Garhwal seat in Uttarakhand,

    Besides, BJP’s Prakash Javadekar, a former union minister and Sushil Kumar Modi, former deputy chief minister of Bihar, also retire from the Rajya Sabha and have not been renominated by the party.

    BJP’s Anil Jain also retires on Tuesday as he has not been given another term by the party and so has Saroj Pandey from Chhattisgarh, who is contesting the Lok Sabha election in the state.

  • Private member’s bill on Uniform Civil Code introduced in Rajya Sabha

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A controversial private member’s Bill that seeks to provide for a panel to prepare a Uniform Civil Code was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

    ‘The Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020’ was introduced in the Upper House amid protests from opposition parties.

    BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena moved for leave to introduce the Bill to provide for the constitution of the national inspection and investigation committee for preparation of a Uniform Civil Code and its implementation throughout India and for matters connected therewith during the private member’s business.

    However, Opposition members from the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress protested against the introduction of the Bill saying it will “destroy” the social fabric and unity in diversity that is prevalent in the country.

    With the Opposition members seeking withdrawal of the Bill, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called for division and the motion for introduction of the Bill was passed with 63 votes in favour and 23 against it.

    In the past, although the Bill was listed for introduction, it was not moved in the Upper House. The Bill envisages a collection of laws to protect the personal rights of all citizens without considering religion.

    NEW DELHI: A controversial private member’s Bill that seeks to provide for a panel to prepare a Uniform Civil Code was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

    ‘The Uniform Civil Code in India Bill, 2020’ was introduced in the Upper House amid protests from opposition parties.

    BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena moved for leave to introduce the Bill to provide for the constitution of the national inspection and investigation committee for preparation of a Uniform Civil Code and its implementation throughout India and for matters connected therewith during the private member’s business.

    However, Opposition members from the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress protested against the introduction of the Bill saying it will “destroy” the social fabric and unity in diversity that is prevalent in the country.

    With the Opposition members seeking withdrawal of the Bill, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar called for division and the motion for introduction of the Bill was passed with 63 votes in favour and 23 against it.

    In the past, although the Bill was listed for introduction, it was not moved in the Upper House. The Bill envisages a collection of laws to protect the personal rights of all citizens without considering religion.

  • Rajya Sabha adjourned till Thursday amid opposition protest, passes AERA bill

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till Thursday amid continuous protests by opposition parties over the Pegasus snooping controversy, and issues of farm laws and price rise.

    However, the Upper House passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to encourage smaller airports to expand air connectivity to relatively remote and far-flung areas.

    The House passed the bill after a brief discussion amid protest and sloganeering by the opposition over various issues, including the Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws. The Lok Sabha had passed the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 on July 29.

    When the Upper House assembled after a 15-minute adjournment at 2:56 pm, the opposition continued to protest. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, who was in the chair, called members for debate on the bill.

    After a short debate and a brief reply from the Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed with a voice vote. Immediately after that the deputy chairman adjourned the House till Thursday 11 am.

    Earlier, the House passed two bills — the Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 — after short debates amid the din.

    As opposition members continued raising slogans, the deputy chairman adjourned the proceedings of the House for 15 minutes till 2.56 pm. He also warned members not to record proceedings on mobile phones as it was against the rules of the Rajya Sabha.

    Earlier, the proceedings of the House were adjourned till 2 pm as slogan-shouting MLAs of the TMC and other opposition parties trooped into the Well, some holding placards, to demand a discussion on the issue of Pegasus spyware being used to snoop on opposition leaders, government critics and journalists.