Page 3 - Opposition

Govt may push bills amid din if Opposition continues SIR protest: Rijiju

The government will be compelled to press for the passage of its bills amid protests in Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday, as the Opposition's relentless disruptions over SIR dimmed the prospects of normal functioning of the two Houses. While the Lok Sabha saw little transaction of any listed business on Monday, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned as a mark of respect for its member and former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren, who passed away this morning. Rijiju insisted that the government wants a thorough discussion in Parliament over its bills but will be compelled to push for their passage from Tuesday in "national interest" as the proposed legislations are important for governance. Hitting out at the opposition parties, he said that they had agreed to a two-day discussion over the National Sports Governance Bill and National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, both of which were scheduled to be taken up together for consideration and passage in the

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm due to Oppn protests over SIR discussion

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Monday due to noisy protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise carried out by the Election Commission in Bihar and other issues. When the House met at 11 am, opposition MPs, including Congress, were on their feet, raising slogans and holding up placards. The opposition is demanding a discussion on the SIR exercise initiated by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of Assembly elections in the state. Speaker Om Birla said he has been trying every day to run the House smoothly but protesting members are systematically disrupting proceedings of the House. "You have been elected by lakhs of people to represent their hopes and aspirations and raise their issues. But you are not interested in allowing the House to function smoothly. You are lowering the dignity of the House by systematically obstructing the proceedings and by showing placards," he said. If the members have any issue th

INDIA bloc leaders to meet on August 7 amid demands to discuss Bihar's SIR

There will be a get-together on August 7 in Delhi. INDIA alliance leaders will be there, Venugopal said

Opposition protests rock Rajya Sabha; proceedings adjourned for the day

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday amid vociferous protests by Opposition members over the issue of Special Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The House could not function and both the Zero Hour and Question Hour were washed out. The House was earlier adjourned soon after laying of papers within minutes. When the House reassembled at 12 noon, there was no let up in the protests forcing the Chair to adjourn for the day. Some of the Opposition members even entered the Well and raised slogans against the SIR. The House will meet again on Monday. The Opposition has been demanding a discussion in the House in the SIR issue and the withdrawal of the EC's exercise which has come ahead of Assembly elections slated to be held later this year. In the morning session, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he received 30 adjournment notices under Rule 267 for discussion on SIR, alleged discrimination against Bengali migrant workers in other states, impact of the US deci

LS adjourned till 4 pm amid continued Oppn protest over various issues

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the second time on Thursday amid protests by Opposition members over various issues, including poll roll revision in Bihar. As soon as the House met again at 2 pm, the Chair had to adjourn the proceedings till 4 pm as Opposition members continued with their noisy protests. Some Opposition members were in the Well of the House raising slogans as they sought to raise certain issues. Awadhesh Prasad, who was chairing the House, urged the members to take their seats but adjourned the proceedings as his pleas went unheard. Earlier, Speaker Om Birla had urged the protesting members to stop shouting slogans and go back to their seats. "You (protesting members) don't want to discuss issues?...," he said and also asked whether people have chosen them to indulge in sloganeering in the House. The House is for discussing issues and the behaviour of the members is not appropriate, Birla said before adjourning the proceedings till 2 pm. As the din cont

RS adjourned till 2 pm as Opposition parties press for discussion on SIR

Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday after Opposition MPs created uproar over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls. The House was adjourned twice during the pre-lunch session over the SIR issue. Soon after the House met at 12 noon after one adjournment in the morning, Opposition MPs were on their feet raising slogans in support of their demand for a discussion on SIR of Bihar's electoral rolls. The MPs demanded that the special revision of electoral rolls should be discussed in the House. The Opposition has been demanding a roll back of the SIR in Bihar till the after the Assembly polls, which are due later this year. Ghanshyam Tiwari who was in the Chair urged the potesting MPs to maintain decorum in the House and allow the Question Hour to function. Unrelenting Opposition members, however, continued to raise slogans. Some of the TMC members also trooped into the Well and continued with their sloganeering. Amid t

Oppn MPs tear, throw 'SIR' posters in bin as symbolic rejection of exercise

Several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, on Friday held an unusual protest in Parliament House complex against the voter roll revision in Bihar by tearing posters with 'SIR' written on them and putting them in a 'disposal bin'. They also staged a protest march in Parliament House complex, demanding the rollback as well as a discussion on the issue in both houses. Ahead of the start of the day's proceedings, several MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, TMC, RJD and Left parties, carried out a protest march with the banner 'SIR- Loktantra par Var'. Then in front of the Makar Dwar steps, a bin was placed and one by one the opposition leaders, including Kharge and Gandhi, tore the poster with SIR written on it and put it in the bin as a symbolic rejection of the exercise. The MPs also raised slogans like "Save democracy" and "Stop vote-bandi". The opposition has

INDIA bloc may field joint VP candidate despite NDA majority: Report

The INDIA bloc is likely to contest the vice presidential poll after a collective decision on a common candidate as it feels that the numbers are not overwhelmingly stacked against the opposition despite the BJP-led NDA having a majority, sources in the grouping said on Thursday. They said that there is a feeling that the opposition parties should not shy away from a contest to send a strong political message irrespective of the outcome. In a sudden move, Jagdeep Dhankhar quit as vice president on Monday evening citing medical reasons, though there have been consistent murmurs about other reasons behind his resignation. The effective strength of both the Houses together is 782 and the winning candidate will require to win 392 votes in the election for the vice president, considering all eligible voters exercise their franchise. All members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including the nominated ones, vote in the vice presidential poll. In Lok Sabha, while the BJP-led NDA enjoys the .

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm following Oppn protests against SIR in Bihar

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday following Opposition protests over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. This is the fourth consecutive day that the Question Hour has been disrupted since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. As soon as the House met for the day, various Opposition members wanted to raise the issue of the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and also shouted slogans. Some of the members were in the Well of the House and also displayed placards. Speaker Om Birla asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules they will be given opportunities to raise issues. He mentioned the name of senior Congress leader K C Venugopal and said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House. Birla repeatedly mentioned that sloganeering and display of placards is not in accordance with the dignity of the House and wondered what kind of message such actions will send out. As t

Rajya Sabha adjourned without transacting any business amid Oppn protests

The Upper House earlier saw two adjournments during the pre-lunch period, before it was finally adjourned within minutes of meeting at 2 pm

Oppn MPs protest against Bihar SIR; vow to press for PM's presence in House

Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday staged a protest in Parliament House complex against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar. The opposition MPs gathered on the steps of Makar Dwar of Parliament and raised slogans against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that it amounts to stealing elections. They also held placards like 'SIR: Stealing Indian Rights' and 'SIR: Subverting Indian Republic'. MPs of several parties, including the Congress, SP, RJD, TMC, DMK, JMM, among others participated in the protest. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took part in the protest. Earlier, a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders was held in the presence of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, the opposition decided to press for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the Hou

Opposition raises questions over ex Vice President Dhankhar's resignation

The opposition on Monday raised questions over Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation as the vice president, with the Congress saying that clearly, there is "far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye". The Congress also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convince Dhankhar to change his mind. In a sudden move, Dhankhar resigned from his post on Monday evening, citing medical reasons. He has sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu and said he is stepping down with immediate effect. "The sudden resignation of the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is as shocking as it is inexplicable. I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5 PM today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30 PM," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. "No doubt Mr Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye

Anti-SIR protests rock Bihar Assembly on inaugural day of monsoon session

Protests against special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar rocked the state assembly on the inaugural day of the monsoon session on Monday. Members of the CPI(ML) Liberation, a constituent of the INDIA bloc, reached the premises wearing black 'kurtas' as a mark of protest against SIR. "The Election Commission has ordered the exercise to wrongfully delete the names of a large number of voters, hoping that this would help the ruling NDA, which is likely to suffer a heavy defeat in the upcoming assembly polls. We shall be fighting it out from the House to the streets (sadan se sadak tak)," said Mehboob Alam, the legislature party leader of the CPI(ML) Liberation. As proceedings of the House began, many opposition members rose in their seats, raising slogans against SIR and also seeking a response from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was present inside the assembly, on the recent spurt in violent crimes. AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman, whose party has expressed the desire

AAP no longer part of INDIA bloc, will fight Bihar polls solo: Sanjay Singh

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) distanced itself from the INDIA bloc on Friday, saying it is not part of the opposition alliance anymore and questioning the Congress party's role in leading it. The remarks made by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh came ahead of an online meeting of the leaders of the INDIA bloc parties scheduled to be held on Saturday evening to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country. The meeting comes right before the Monsoon session of Parliament, which starts on Monday. It will be held after a long gap since the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) last deliberated on the country's political situation jointly. "The AAP has cleared its stand. The INDIA bloc was for the (2024) Lok Sabha polls. We fought the Delhi and Haryana Assembly polls on our own. We are going to fight the Bihar election solo. We fought the bypolls in Punjab and Gujarat all by ourselves. The AAP is not part of the INDIA. We will strongly raise issu

Centre to collect signatures of MPs for motion to remove Justice Varma

Prominent opposition parties have given their in-principle approval to support the motion to remove Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma and the process of collecting signatures could begin soon, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday. He said the government is yet to decide whether the motion would be brought in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. For Lok Sabha, signatures of a minimum 100 MPs is required. For the Rajya Sabha, the requirement is the support of at least 50 MPs. He said the signatures will be collected after the government decides on the House where the motion will be brought. The Monsoon session will commence from July 21 and end on August 21. According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, once a motion to remove a judge is admitted in any of the houses, the speaker or the chairman, as the case may be, will constitute a three-member committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal (or, in popular term, impeachment) has been sought. The committee con

Vote-bandi will destroy democracy: Cong opposes EC's roll revision in Bihar

Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections. The Congress claimed that after the prime minister's 'notebandi' (demonetisation) that "destroyed" the country's economy, EC's 'Vote-bandi' in Bihar will demolish India's democracy. Leaders from 11 parties, including the Congress, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, NCP-SP and the Samajwadi Party, put forth their objections before Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other election commissioners to the special scrutiny of the voters' list. The INDIA bloc parties have been vocal in their opposition to the Special Intensive Revision exercise that has already started in Bihar and is to be carried out in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which ar

Govt buckled under 'pressure': Aaditya on withdrawal of GRs on Hindi

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed the Maharashtra government withdrew its decision on the teaching of Hindi as a third language in primary classes due to "pressure" from the opposition and the civil society. Thackeray, along with Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, Bhaskar Jadhav and other opposition legislators, staged a symbolic protest on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan here, holding placards reading "Mi Marathi" (I am Marathi). "Pressure triumphed over power," Thackeray told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises where the monsoon session of the state legislature began earlier in the day. Facing mounting opposition to the introduction of Hindi language in Maharashtra schools from classes 1 to 5, the state cabinet on Sunday decided to withdraw two GRs (government orders) on the implementation of the three-language policy. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the GRs have been withdrawn, and announced the formation of a ...

Parliament's Monsoon session from July 21; Oppn demands special session

Govt announces Monsoon session from July 21 to August 12; Opposition says early announcement aims to dodge special session demand over Operation Sindoor and CDS remarks

Oppn parties demand special session of Parliament, write letter to PM

Leaders from 16 opposition parties demanded a special session of Parliament on Operation Sindoor in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as INDIA bloc parties held a meeting on the issue in the national capital on Tuesday. Leaders from several parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT) were part of the meeting. INDIA bloc MPs have signed a letter addressed to the prime minister raising the demand for a special session of Parliament, opposition leaders said. Congress' Jairam Ramesh and Deependra Hooda, TMC leader Derek O'Brien, SP's Ramgopal Yadav, RJD's Manoj Jha, and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut attended the meeting. The DMK is also among the signatories, but could not join the meeting as it coincided with Karunanidhi's birth anniversary. National Conference, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kerala Congress, MDMK, CPI(ML) Liberation are also among

'Proud of our armed forces': Opposition leaders hail Operation Sindoor

Opposition backs Indian Army's 'Operation Sindoor'; Congress, Owaisi laud strikes on Pakistan terror camps, stress unity, urge tough stance after Pahalgam attack