To the response to a tweet by pop star Rihanna on the farmer protest, he said the democracy will not be weakened by a tweet but by the approach of the government
The proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned for about 20 minutes till 4.30 PM on Wednesday
Sitharaman walked into the House several minutes before 11 am and placed the tablet on the podium
18 Opposition parties to boycott President's address in solidarity with farmers
Slamming opposition parties for their decision to boycott the President's address to Parliament, the BJP on Thursday accused them of "constitutional and moral bankruptcy".
The government had earlier objected to the raising of issues not related to the three farm laws.
The TMC has been at the forefront in opposing the farm laws in Parliament. It has also lent its support to the protests by the farmers but has decided not to go with Tuesday's Bharat Bandh call.
Leaders across parties thinking about ways in which roll-out can be effective
Hitting out at the Opposition, UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday alleged that "division is in the DNA" of these parties and they are trying to create a rift in society on caste and community lines
Asked about the decision of BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal to quit the Modi government in protest against the farm bills, he said there are some "political reasons" behind certain decisions
Members of opposition parties like the Congress, DMK and the TMC on Saturday opposed in Lok Sabha the setting up of the PM CARES Fund, alleging that it lacked transparency. They were participating in a debate on the bill for giving effect to various compliance relief measures for taxpayers, including extending time limits for filing returns, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and tax benefits for donations to PM CARES Fund. "I can't understand the logic to have a separate fund. What is the difference between the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and the PM CARES Fund," said N K Premachandran (RSP), who initiated the debate on The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020. "Eight different Acts are being modified means substantial changes took place in eight Acts and one of the major Acts is the Income Tax Act of 1961," he said. He alleged the PM CARES Fund "lacks transparency as it is not audited by Comptroller and Auditor General .
Several Opposition leaders stepped up their attack on the government over the decision of not holding the Question Hour in Parliament's upcoming monsoon session
The meet, held via video conference between power ministers/departments of states and the Union ministry of power, saw Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha and Kerala protesting against amendments
The Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav threatened a 5-km cycle yatra by party workers across Bihar's villages on July 5 if the Centre did not reduce oil prices by Rs 20
Opposition parties have questioned how the PM CARES Fund is being kept out of the audit purview of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the need of the hour was to put money into the pockets of the people, particularly the poorest 130 million people
In their letter to the President, the Opposition leaders raised the issue of labour laws being nullified and hard-won democratic rights of a vast majority of Indian people people being compromised
Rahul Gandhi's two recent video performances offer little hope - the first fell flat in attacking govt 'strategy'; and the second showed him in a position unbecoming of a leader - writes T N Ninan
Shobha Karandlaje, Yediyurappa's political confidante and Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, led the anti-Muslim chorus
Modi is scheduled to meet floor leaders of all political parties in Parliament on Wednesday