Page 41 - Parliament

Vice President Dhankhar inaugurates 'Prerna Sthal' in Parliament complex

Rajya Sabha chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday inaugurated the 'Prerna Sthal' in the Parliament complex which now houses statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier at different places on the premises. The 'Prerna Sthal' will inspire and motivate people, Dhankhar said, amid criticism by the Congress over the removal of the statues from their original places. The Congress on Sunday claimed the decision to relocate the statues within the Parliament premises was taken by the ruling regime "unilaterally". Its sole objective was to not have the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, which have been traditional sites of democratic protests, right next to where the Parliament actually meets, it alleged. Referring to the contribution of leaders in shaping the country, Dhankhar said he had never imagined that he would be able to offer tributes to great personalities in a such a way by inaugurating the 'Prerna Sthal'. "Imagine the contributio

Om Birla discusses statue relocation in Parliament with stakeholders

Statues of freedom fighters and national icons spread across the Parliament complex have been relocated to a new enclosure on its premises, Prerna Sthal, following discussions with different stakeholders, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday. The relocation of the statues, he said, were done as part of a landscaping and beautification exercise. Addressing reporters here, Birla also asserted that discussions were held from time to time with different stakeholders on the relocation of statues as such decisions were within the purview of the Office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. "None of the statues have been removed, they have been relocated. There is no need to indulge in politics on this," the outgoing speaker said when asked about the opposition criticism on the relocation of the statues. "From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their .

Three new criminal laws come into force on July 1. Here is what will change

The three criminal laws will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872

First session of 18th Lok Sabha to start from June 24, says Kiren Rijiju

During the first three days of the session, the newly elected leaders will take their oaths or affirm their membership in the Lok Sabha

No queer representation in 2024 Lok Sabha, 108 MPs vocal on LGBTQIA+ issues

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, all three transgender candidates lost their security deposits for not securing one-sixth of the total valid votes

Delhi police files chargesheet against 6 in parliament security breach case

All the arrested accused have also been produced before the court as their Judicial Custody was ended. The court also extended the judicial custody of all the six accused till July 15

Gandhi, Ambedkar statues relocated to ensure Oppn can't hold protests: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji among others have been relocated within Parliament premises to ensure that Opposition parties cannot hold democratic protests, and said such "stunts" cannot save Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "unstable government" from falling. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh termed the Lok Sabha secretariat's explanation for relocating the statues as "wholly bogus", and said there has been no discussion with any political party on the matter. In a statement, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said Thursday that due to their location at different places in the Parliament premises, visitors were not able to see these statues conveniently. "For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand 'Prerna Sthal' in Parliament House premises. This 'Prerna Sthal' is being developed in such a way that the visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex view the statues of these great

Composition of new Parliament: More graduates, fewer women elected in 2024

The share of graduate MPs is 78 per cent in 2024. It was 72 per cent in 2019. This remains lower than the 79 per cent seen in 2009

3 arrested for using forged Aadhaar card to enter Parliament complex

Three labourers trying to enter the high-security Parliament complex by allegedly using "forged" Aadhaar cards were apprehended by the CISF personnel, official sources said on Thursday. The Delhi Police has arrested the three persons identified as Kasim, Monis and Soyeb and has charged them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code related to forgery and cheating. Sources told PTI said the trio were intercepted and detained by CISF personnel at the flap gate entry of the Parliament House on Tuesday when they had lined up for security and identity card checks. The three were trying to gain entry into the Parliament complex by showing their Aadhaar cards. The CISF personnel found the cards to be doubtful and on further scrutiny found that those were forged, the sources said. The CISF has recently taken over the entire security of the Parliament complex by replacing the CRPF and Delhi Police contingents. Officials said the three persons were hired by a company called Dee Vee ..

Gandhi, Ambedkar, Shivaji statues shifted within Parliament; Cong unhappy

Statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji, among others, have been relocated within the Parliament premises as part of a landscaping exercise, a move that drew sharp criticism from the Congress on Thursday. The statues of tribal leader Birsa Munda and Maharana Pratap have also been shifted to a lawn between old Parliament building and the Parliament library. All statues are now in the same place. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X, "Statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar have just been removed from their places of prominence in front of the Parliament House. This is atrocious." Attacking the BJP, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said when Maharashtra voters did not vote for BJP, the statues of Shivaji and Ambedkar were removed from their original place in Parliament. When they did not get clean sweep in Gujarat, they removed the statue of Mahatma

Hung Parliament, NDA win or loss: Stock strategy for poll outcome scenarios

Ambitious targets were tactfully set by BJP to ward off complacency among the BJP and NDA cadre; it had become a talking point in the absence of the strong wave, as seen in 2014 and 2019: JM Financial

Statsguru: After a long LS poll campaign, results will be declared on Tue

Challenges persist for incoming MPs, with over half of the constituencies off-target on 18 out of 33 SDGs

ANC loses majority in Parliament for first time in South African democracy

The African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority in the South African Parliament on Saturday for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory in the first democratic elections in 1994 at the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule. With the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) having finished counting 99.8 per cent of the ballots cast on Wednesday, the ANC had garnered only 40 per cent of the votes, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) coming in at 22 per cent; Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the new party founded by former president Jacob Zuma, securing almost 15 per cent and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) dropping its share to just nine per cent. Analysts across the board said that there would now be intense negotiations to decide who would govern the country in a coalition. I don't think that the ANC membership, us as leaders of the ANC and our supporters must see this as a signal of the end of the ANC. This must be a learning point for the ANC. It's a

Taiwanese parliament passes bills expanding legislative oversight

Amendments will enhance checks and balances and empower the legislature to combat corruption, the move has sparked significant concerns within civil society and academia

Nepal PM to take test of strength for fourth time amid Opposition protest

The latest vote of confidence comes after the withdrawal of support by the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and within 18 months of Dahal taking office

The post-June 4 challenges

Both majority and coalition govts will have to rule by consensus henceforth

LS polls: Rajasthan records over 40% turnout in 13 constituencies till 1 pm

Over 40 percent voting was recorded till 1 pm in 13 Lok Sabha seats of Rajasthan where elections are being held in the second phase on Friday. 40.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm across the 13 parliamentary constituencies. At the same time, 51.50 percent voting took place in Bagidora assembly constituency, according to official data. The voting percentage in the first four hours in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls is above that of the first phase. The polling percentage in 12 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls on April 19 was 33.73 per cent by this time. Around 2.8 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase of the polls. This is the final phase of polling in Rajasthan. Voting is underway in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran, along with the Bagidora Assembly constituency where a bypoll is underway. The highest voter

Lok Sabha elections 2024: Polling begins for 12 of 25 seats in Rajasthan

Polling for 12 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan began on Friday morning in the first phase of elections. Voting began at 7 am in Churu, Nagaur, Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa constituencies. It will continue till 6 pm. Over 2.54 crore voters are eligible to vote in this round in the two-phase election in Rajasthan. Altogether, 114 candidates are in the contest for the 12 seats. A total of 23,000 polling booths have been set up in the first phase where around 75,000 policemen have been deployed to ensure law and order, ADG Law and Order Vishal Bansal said earlier. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure elections in a free and fair manner, Bansal said. In the first phase, the number of sensitive booths is 10,000. The Bharatiya Janata Party won all 25 seats in Rajasthan on its own in 2014, and in 2019, NDA won 25 seats, the saffron party won 24 seats and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party

Nomination process begins for Phase 3 of Lok Sabha elections on May 7

The nomination process for the third phase of the Lok Sabha polls to be held in 94 constituencies across 12 states on May 7 began on Friday. The process started after a notification was issued by the Election Commission on behalf of the President. April 19 is the last date for the filing of papers. Separately, another notification was issued for the "adjourned" poll in the Betul constituency of Madhya Pradesh, the EC said. The election in the Betul Lok Sabha seat was "adjourned" following the death of the BSP's candidate. In case a candidate of a recognised national or state party dies before the polls, the election is postponed to allow the party to identify and field a fresh candidate. Voting in the Betul constituency was earlier scheduled to be held in the second phase on April 26. The states and union territories included in the third phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya

Lone warriors: Here're independent members of Parliament in Lok Sabha

The 10th Lok Sabha in 1991 had only one Independent MP, Satyendra Nath Brohmo Chaudhary, who was from Kokrajhar