Page 18 - Lok Sabha

Cong repeatedly wounded the Constitution, we strengthened it: PM Modi in LS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hailed India's journey since the adoption of the Constitution in 1949 as "extraordinary", asserting that the country's ancient democratic roots have long been an inspiration for the world. India is not only a big democracy but it is the mother of democracy, he said in the Lok Sabha replying to a two-day debate on the 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution. Modi said India has resolved to become a developed country by 2047 and its unity is the biggest requirement to achieve the goal. "Our Constitution is the basis of our unity," he said. Modi said India defied all apprehensions about its democratic future after independence and added its Constitution has brought the country to this stage today. He paid tributes to the makers of the Constitution and the country's citizens for living up to the spirt of its makers. Those involved in the making of the Constitution were well aware that India was not born in 1947 or turned democratic in 195

'Attackers' of Constitution posing as it's 'champion': Tejasvi Surya in LS

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya slammed the Congress in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, saying the "attackers" of the Constitution are posing as "champions" of the Constitution in a "hypocritical drama" that is going on for decades in the country. Participating in a two-day debate in the Lower House on the "Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India", the Bangalore South MP alleged that parties like the Congress consider India not as a civilisational state or a nation but "a mere hotchpotch union of states". "For a very long time, a big hypocritical drama has been conducted in this country, where those who are the attackers of the Constitution have posed themselves as champions of the Constitution. This hypocrisy must be exposed. For a very long time, this hypocrisy has continued. "The BJP is the protector of the Constitution and the protector of territorial integrity. Other political parties like the Congress consider India not as a civilisational state, not as a nation, but a mere

Savarkar preferred Manusmriti to Constitution: Rahul attacks BJP in LS

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on saturday cited V D Savarkar's remarks that there was nothing Indian about the Constitution and took a jibe at the BJP, saying that by talking of protecting the Constitution, the ruling party is "ridiculing" Savarkar. Participating in a debate on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the Congress leader said Savarkar, who is seen as an ideologue of the BJP and RSS, had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution, and that he preferred Hindu religious text 'Manusmriti' to it. "The Constitution is a document of modern India but it could never have been written without ancient India and her ideas," Rahul Gandhi said. Savarkar had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution and called Manusmriti a scripture "most worshipable" for Hindus after the Vedas, according to Gandhi. "Nice that you say you are defending the Constitution, but I want to ask, do you stand by your leader's words? Because when you speak abou

Cong bolstered democracy to extent that tea-seller could become PM: Bhagat

Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Saturday said his party and India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru strengthened the roots of democracy and the Constitution to the extent that a "tea-seller" could become the country's prime minister. Participating in a debate on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, Bhagat hit back at Union minister Rajnath Singh claiming opposition leaders had seen their families keep the Constitution in their pockets for generations and said this was true as the most precious and important things were kept in pockets. "Yesterday (Friday), ruling party people were attacking Nehru but I would like to tell the House that the Congress and Nehru strengthened the roots of democracy and the Constitution so much that a tea-seller is a prime minister now. The Congress strengthened the roots (of democracy)," the MP from Jharkhand's Lohardaga said. Slamming the BJP, he claimed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked Organiser had said India would not accept

Congress did not give Ambedkar his due, says Rijiju during debate in LS

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday tore into the Congress for not giving BR Ambedkar his due, as he questioned the opposition's claims that minorities were being denied their rights. Intervening in the debate in the Lok Sabha on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the parliamentary affairs minister cautioned that "our words and actions should not diminish the image of the country in the world fora". Rijiju was the first speaker on the second day of the debate in the Lower House. While India has given equal voting rights to all, some claim that minorities have no rights in the country, Rijiju said in an apparent jibe at the opposition. In his over an hour-long speech, Rijiju suggested that the Congress should "apologise" to Ambedkar to "lessen its sins". He alleged that "you" (apparently the Congress) made Ambedkar lose in the 1952 parliamentary polls. Rijiju also questioned the delay in bestowing Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna and asserted that the chief architect

PM Modi to address LS today; What Opposition leaders said in Parl so far

Rajnath Singh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mahua Moitra addressed Lok Sabha; here's what they said

Arjun Meghwal to introduce 'One Nation One Election' Bill in LS on Dec 16

Several opposition leaders have questioned the One Nation One election proposal saying it was impractical

PM Modi to reply to debate on 75th anniversary of Constitution in LS today

On Friday, the debate on the Constitution witnessed fiery speeches of Defence Minister Singh and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Uproar over Mahua's reference to judge Loya's death, Rijiju warns of action

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's reference to the death of judge B H Loya "long before his time" created uproar in Lok Sabha on Friday as Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused her of raising a matter settled by the Supreme Court, and warned of "appropriate parliamentary action". Participating in a debate on 75 years of the Indian Constitution, Moitra made a passing, but contentious, remarks on Loya's death as she attacked the ruling BJP for allegedly targeting institutions and opposition leaders to silence critical voices. The House was adjourned briefly twice due to the uproar over the matter. BJP member Nishikant Dubey first raised the issue after her speech was over. He also objected to her criticism of former chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who recently retired, for a host of reasons, including receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence during the Ganapati festival. Dubey accused Moitra of making insinuation about Loya's death. Rijiju said the case is .

Efforts on to reduce minorities, Muslims to second-grade citizens: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged Friday that efforts are underway to reduce the country's minorities, particularly Muslims, to "second-grade" citizens, and claimed their rights and properties are being systematically eroded. Speaking in Lok Sabha during a debate on the Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India', Yadav charged the government with fostering inequality and failing to uphold the constitutional rights of marginalised communities. "This Constitution is our armour, our security. It provides us strength whenever needed. The Constitution is the true guardian of the rights of the oppressed, neglected, suppressed, and deprived. For people like us and the weak in the country, especially for PDA (Pichdde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak), saving the Constitution is a matter of life and death," he said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister accused the government of neglecting minorities, and said their rights and properties are being systematically ...

Parliament highlights: Nehru blamed for everything, why don't you talk about present, asks Priyanka

Parliament winter session 2024 LIVE updates: BJP would have begun changing Constitution, if not for the Lok Sabha election results, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi stated

Better than my maiden speech: Rahul Gandhi hails Priyanka's LS speech

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi lauded Priyanka Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Friday and said it was better than his maiden speech in the House. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unmoved over the incidents of violence in Sambhal and Manipur and had not understood that the Constitution was not the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) rulebook. Participating in a debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, the member of Parliament from Kerala's Wayanad said the Constitution is a protective shield of justice, unity and freedom of expression, but the BJP-led government has made every effort to break it in the last 10 years. Asked about the speech, Congress leader and Priyanka Gandhi's brother Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament, "Wonderful speech.... Better than my maiden speech, let us put it like that." Rahul Gandhi became an MP for the first time in 2004.

Priyanka Gandhi calls for justice, caste census in maiden Lok Sabha speech

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra delivers maiden speech in Lok Sabha, speaks on Unnao case, Sambhal tragedy, reservation and more

Lok Sabha pays tribute to martyrs of 2001 terror attack on Parliament

The Lok Sabha on Friday paid rich tributes to the security personnel who laid down their lives in foiling a terror attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla solemnly reiterated the commitment of the Lower House to fight terrorism and pledged to protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the nation. "This House and the entire nation solemnly remembers unfortunate incident of December 13, 2001, when some terrorists attacked India's Parliament, the greatest symbol of our democracy," Birla said as soon as the House convened at 11:00 am. "Our alert security personnel deployed to ensure security of the Parliament premises displayed extraordinary courage and foiled this attack," he said. The Lok Sabha speaker said eight personnel from the Parliament Security Service, Delhi Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid down their lives while courageously repulsing the terror attack. One worker of the Central Public Works Department also laid down

Parliamentary panel recommends increasing wages under MGNREGA

It suggested that the number of minimum guaranteed working days under the scheme be increased to 150 days and called for parity in wages that the states pay under MNREGA

Outstanding dues of discoms decline 82% in over 2 years to Rs 24,000 cr

Power distribution utilities (discoms) legacy dues have come down by a whopping 82 per cent in over two years to Rs 24,684 crore this month, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Around 13 states reported arrears amounting to Rs 1,39,947 crore as of June 3, 2022, and rescheduled them into EMIs (equated monthly installments), Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. The minister said after the payment of 29 EMIs by the distribution utilities, including pre-payment of legacy dues by some utilities, the outstanding dues have reduced to Rs 24,684 crore as of December 6, 2024. The discoms have paid Rs 1,15,263 crore outstanding since June 2022, he added. In another reply, Naik said that the Ministry of Power, in consultation with states, has envisaged a plan to add thermal capacity of a minimum 80,000 MW by 2031-32. Against this target, 29,200 MW thermal capacity is already under construction while 51,520 MW is at various stages of planning & ...

Parliament session highlights: LS debates Disaster Management Bill, Rajya Sabha adjourned

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

Jorhat-Jhanji portion of NH to be completed by Feb 2025: Gadkari to Gogoi

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday assured Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi that the Jorhat-Jhanji portion of the national highway 37 in Assam will be completed by February 2025. The assurance was given by Gadkari in response to a question posed by Gogoi in the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour. "I had taken 10-12 meetings to discuss about this road. Due to various reasons it was delayed. Work is now going on in full swing. The Jorhat-Jhanji portion will be completed by February 2025," the minister said. Gogoi has been pressing for completion of the construction work of the national highway, which passes through his Lok Sabha constituency Jorhat, for a long time. The Congress leader had met Gadkari in the past and also wrote to him urging that work on the road be completed at the earliest as people have been facing lots of inconvenience due to its poor progress and "deplorable" condition. Gogoi had also said that the construction of the highway has been

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar over Soros, other issues

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday amid uproarious scenes over US businessman George Soros and other issues. In a change from the past few days, the House sat for the entire duration of Question Hour on Thursday, but trouble broke out in the Zero Hour when the chair called Congress member Jothimani to speak. After which the House was adjourned till 1 pm. When the House resumed at 1 pm, noisy exchanges broke out between the Opposition and BJP members. Following which, Sandhya Ray who was presiding over the House, adjourned it till 2 pm. Earlier, as the Congress member made a reference to the alleged links between a prominent industrialist of the country and the BJP, presiding officer Jagdambika Pal said the businessman's name will not go on records, triggering protests from the opposition. Congress member K C Venugopal sought to know whether the rule was selectively applicable for references made by opposition party members. Venugopal said Commerce Minister

60% of those killed in road accidents in 18-34 age group: Govt in Lok Sabha

As many as 1.78 lakh people are killed in road accidents annually in the country and 60 per cent of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He lamented that people do not fear the law and many drive two-wheelers without helmets and some jump the red signal. "One unfortunate fact is that of the 1.78 lakh people dying in road accidents, 60 per cent are in the age group of 18 to 34 years. Still there is no fear of law. Some do not wear helmets, some jump red signal," he said during the Question Hour, adding that it was a "strange" situation. Responding to supplementaries, he said while Uttar Pradesh leads in deaths due to road accidents, in cities, Delhi tops the chart in such deaths. In Uttar Pradesh, over 23,000 people or 13.7 per cent of the total deaths are due to road accidents followed by Tamil Nadu with over 18,000 (10.6 per cent) deaths. In Maharashtra, the figure stands at over 15