Page 111 - Lok Sabha

Mahua Moitra row: LS underlines confidentiality of govt's replies to MPs

The Lok Sabha secretariat has underscored the confidentiality of government's replies to MPs during the Question Hour in the House and asked them to access their portal only for their exclusive use, a development triggered by the raging "cash-for-query" row involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra. "It may be noted that since the replies are log-in and password protected on the Members' Portal, they are exclusively for the use of Members only," the Lok Sabha secretariat said in its bulletin dated November 10, a day after the the House's Ethics Committee recommended Moitra's expulsion. Members are, therefore, requested to maintain confidentiality of the replies and not to share the contents with others until the Question Hour is over, it added. It informed MPs that the contents of reply made in response to a question is "strictly confidential" until the question for oral answer has been asked and answered in the House. In case a question could not come up for oral answer, the reply to the ...

Will help her before polls: Bengal CM on Moitra's expulsion recommendation

Breaking her silence on the "cash-for-query" allegation against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC. "Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla,

Winter session of Parliament before Lok Sabha polls is usually short

The last winter session of the 16th Lok Sabha in 2018, convened ahead of the 2019 general election, had worked for just 74 hours

More than 700 private members' bills pending in Lok Sabha, shows data

More than 700 private members' bills, several of which seek to amend penal provisions and electoral laws, are pending in the Lok Sabha. While several of these bills were introduced in June 2019, when the present Lok Sabha was formed after the parliamentary polls, some were tabled as recently as August this year during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Private member bills are those introduced by MPs in their personal capacity. The aim of bringing a private bill is highlighting new laws that they think should be introduced or changes they believe are necessary in the existing statutes. According to a Lok Sabha bulletin issued on Friday, 713 such bills are pending in the Lower House. These bills deal with issues such as bringing a uniform civil code, gender equality, climate change, agriculture, amendment to the existing criminal and electoral laws and tweaking constitutional provisions. The second half of Fridays when Parliament is in session is reserved for the members to introdu

Palliatives, not solutions: When politicians hide failures under largesse

Voters have learnt to look for what they can get today, not tomorrow, and seem to choose parties offering the most generous packages - which encourages a rush to raid the treasury - notes T N Ninan

Ensure BJP doesn't get single seat in Delhi in LS polls: Kejriwal tells AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday sounded the poll bugle and asked AAP workers to go to every household in the national capital and tell people about the "conspiracies" of the BJP and ensure it doesn't get a single seat here in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a congregation of AAP workers (karyakarta sammelan), Kejriwal also told them to ask people in every household if they want him to continue to serve as the chief minister from jail in case he is arrested or should he resign. "I have no lust for the chief minister's post. I am probably the world's first chief minister who resigned after 49 days without anyone asking me to do so," he said. "I have held meetings with councillors and MLAs who said that I should continue being the chief minister if I am arrested. I am assigning you a task -- go to every household, talk to people, ask them whether I should continue as the chief minister from the jail and tell them about BJP's conspiracies. Ensure that they do not

Cash for query row: Moitra hits back after Ethics panel suggests expulsion

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday said she will be back with a bigger mandate in 2024, a day after the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion from the House in the "cash-for-query" matter. In a post on X, the TMC MP said, "Proud to go down in parliamentary history as 1st person to be unethically expelled by Ethics Comm whose mandate doesn't include expulsion. 1st expel & THEN ask govt to ask CBI to find evidence. Kangaroo court, monkey business from start to finish". "Never Waste a Good Crisis they say... - this just helped me double my 2024 winning margin," Moitra said. The Ethics Committee on Thursday recommended Moitra's expulsion, capping a fortnight of actions that included the deposition of three people over three sittings. The committee, chaired by BJP Lok Sabha member Vinod Kumar Sonkar, met here and adopted its 479-page report which, according to sources, recommended Moitra's expulsion, possibly the first such action against an MP by the ...

Will be back with bigger mandate: Moitra on LS expulsion recommendation

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Friday said she will be back with a bigger mandate in the 2024 general elections, a day after the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion from the House in the "cash-for-query" matter. She is accused of accepting "illegal gratifications" from a businessman to raise questions in Parliament at his behest. "Proud to go down in parliamentary history as first person to be unethically expelled by Ethics Committee whose mandate doesn't include expulsion. First expel and then ask government to ask CBI to find evidence. Kangaroo court, monkey business from start to finish," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader said in a post on X. In another post, in an apparent reference to businessman Gautam Adani, the Krishnanagar MP said, "Also Mr. Adani - don't waste your time telling everyone 'Mahua's ticket will be cut'". "Only thing that will be cut is your market capitalisation as your house of cards unravels," she said and asserted, "Like I said I

Winter session of Parliament from December 4, to have 15 sittings

The session could see the government seeking a Parliamentary nod for additional fiscal spending, especially to allocate funds for MNREGA and fertiliser subsidy

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LS ethics panel recommends expulsion of Moitra in 'cash-for-query' case

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Thursday recommended the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra from the House in the 'cash-for-query' matter, capping a fortnight of actions that included deposition of three persons over three sittings. The committee, chaired by BJP Lok Sabha member Vinod Kumar Sonkar, met here and adopted its 479-page report which, according to sources, recommended Moitra's expulsion, possibly first such action against an MP by the panel. Committee chairman Sonkar told reporters that six members of the panel supported adoption of the report and four opposed it. In her first reaction to PTI after the Lok Sabha panel recommendation, Moitra said this was a "pre-fixed match by a kangaroo court" and added, "Even if they expel me, I will be back in the next Lok Sabha with a bigger mandate." The ethics panel report will now be tabled in the Lok Sabha which will then vote on a motion to put the recommendation into action. According to sources, Preneet Kaur, a Congress MP, is

Expulsion impossible without evidence: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee backs Moitra

According to sources, the committee can recommend the expulsion of Mahua Moitra from the Lok Sabha in cash for query case against the TMC MP.

Cash for Query report ready, will be sent to speaker, says Ethics Committee

The Ethics Committee Chairperson said that two meetings were held prior to Thursday's meeting in which Dubey's complaint and Hiranandani's affidavit was examined and Moitra's statement was recorded

Cash for query row: Ethics panel may recommend TMC MP Moitra's expulsion

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee has drafted a final report which will be adopted in Thursday's meeting at 4 pm.

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Mahua Moitra, Nishikant Dubey spar ahead of Lok Sabha's ethics panel meet

Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra on Tuesday claimed that the meeting of the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha was postponed to keep a Congress member away from the proceedings and adopt the report by a majority, prompting a sharp retort from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, chaired by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, was scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider and adopt its draft report on the cash-for-query allegations against Moitra. The meeting has now been postponed to November 9. Keeping up the attack, Moitra claimed that no draft report of the committee was circulated to the members and that the BJP leaders were reaching out to allies to ensure their attendance to adopt the report by majority. Dubey, whose complaint against Moitra to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led to the Ethics Committee proceedings, took a dig at the Trinamool Congress MP contending that it was her guilty conscience that was leading her to worry about the proceedings of the parliamenta

INDIA bloc formed to unseat 'dictatorial regime' at Centre: Shiv Sena (UBT)

Amid rumblings in the opposition INDIA alliance, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday said the coalition has been formed to unseat the dictatorial regime at the Centre while politics in states is different. An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' also said the assembly polls scheduled this month in five states is a "dress rehearsal" for the Lok Sabha polls next year. It said the Congress is a major party in all the five poll-bound states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. It is important for the Congress to win polls to stop the misuse of power and arrogance of money. This will be crucial for the INDIA alliance, the editorial said. It expressed confidence that the INDIA alliance will win the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. The Marathi daily said the concerns of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are valid. Last week, Kumar blamed the Congress' preoccupation with assembly polls in five states for the INDIA coalition's inability to build on the momentum

Muslim voters will support us in Lok Sabha elections: UP Cong president Rai

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai claimed on Sunday that the Muslim voters will support the party in the Lok Sabha elections to be held next year. Speaking to reporters after visiting the shrine of Haji Waris Ali Shah at Dewa in Barabanki district, Rai said, "The Congress party has always been the well wishers of Muslims. The Muslims of the country know this. I have full confidence that Muslims will support Congress in the Lok Sabha elections." He stressed, "The Muslims of the country will stand with the Congress party with full majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections." On the question whether the Samajwadi Party (SP) will remain a part of the INDIA bloc, Rai said, "If the SP wants to move forward together, they are welcome." SP President Akhilesh Yadav had expressed his displeasure over not being given even a single seat under the INDIA alliance in Madhya Pradesh. However, later he also said that he will not disappoint his alliance partners. Taking on the BJP governm

SC to hear plea seeking implementation of Women Reservation Bill on Nov 22

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti listed the matter for hearing on November 22

Mahua Moitra, oppn members storm out of Lok Sabha Ethics Committee meet

Opposition members of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee on Thursday stormed out of its meeting along with TMC MP Mahua Moitra as they accused its chairperson Vinod Kumar Sonkar of asking her "indecent personal" questions, a charge he said was motivated to shield the parliamentarian from queries into her "unethical conduct". Moitra, who pleaded innocence to bribery allegations, termed Sonkar's questions to her "filthy" following the walkout while he defended the queries, saying they were related to businessman Darshan Hiranandani's affidavit in which he admitted to giving her bribes and using her parliamentary login ID to ask questions on her behalf. Angry words and accusations flew thick and fast at the over four-hour-long meeting of the panel which might now prepare its recommendations and adopt a draft report at the next meeting, which is yet to be scheduled. It may recommend action against Moitra, sources said. BJP MPs, who are in majority in the 15-member ethics panel, continued to