Page 88 - Rajya Sabha
RS passes bill transferring control over potable alcohol from centre to states
The latest amendment aims to excludes the production of potable alcohol from the ambit of the Act
 "RS passes bill transferring control over potable alcohol from centre to states")
All allegations false, have nothing to hide: Sonia Gandhi on VVIP chopper controversy
Sonia Gandhi dares government to complete inquiry impartially and reveal truth
 "All allegations false, have nothing to hide: Sonia Gandhi on VVIP chopper controversy")
How BJP will add at least two MPs to its Rajya Sabha strength
A little-known rule allows nominated members to be counted as party MPs if they are already members of the part at the time of being sworn in
 "How BJP will add at least two MPs to its Rajya Sabha strength")
The transition the old and the new in the Rajya Sabha
Outgoing Rajya Sabha members from the nominated category(These were the United Progressive Alliance govt's choices)Mrinal MiriEducationist and former Vice Chancellor, North Eastern Hill University (Assam)Bhalchandra MungekarDalit economist and Member of the Planning Commission (Maharashtra)B JayashreeVeteran Indian theatre actor, director and singer, who has also acted in films and television programmes (Karnataka)Javed AkhtarFilm script writer, poet and Urdu litterateur (Uttar Pradesh)Mani Shankar AiyarFormer Union Cabinet minister for Panchayati Raj, and a member of the Congress (Tamil Nadu)H K DuaFormer editor and former Ambassador to Denmark (Punjab)A K GangulyNoted industry expert and former chairman of Hindustan Lever (West Bengal)*To be replaced by(These are the National Democratic Alliance govt's choices)Subramanian SwamyPolitical activist who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (Tamil Nadu)Navjot Singh SidhuCricketer and former MP from Amritsar (Punjab)Suresh GopiMa
 "The transition the old and the new in the Rajya Sabha")
Swamy, Sidhu, Mary Kom among six nominated to Rajya Sabha
A nominated member is allowed six months to decide whether to join a political party after having taken the seat
Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha seat no longer a possibility for the Congress
Tarun Vijay is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand. His term ends in July. If the Congress government in the state had managed to save itself, the seat might have gone to the party. But nine Assembly members of the Congress led by Vijay Bahuguna rebelled, leading to the imposition of President's rule in the state. Such a circumstance means that for any Congress member, who was hoping to get elected from the state, the seat is no longer a possibility. If, as the BJP has planned, elections are held soon and its government is installed in state capital Dehradun, the party will get another seat in the Upper House of Parliament.
Speculation over Rajya Sabha vacancies
Who will the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominate to the Rajya Sabha? There are currently seven vacancies. The terms of four more members end in 2018. This includes former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actor Rekha. There is speculation about whom the seven seats will go to: former journalists, musicians, artists? Or will they go to party leaders whom the BJP wants to keep out of the states? Some from the fields of film, journalism and industry have supported the BJP in recent years. Industrialist Subhash Chandra was keen to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 but didn't get a BJP ticket. Actor Anupam Kher supported the party when it was facing heat from the Opposition on the "intolerance" issue. Some journalists might be nominated to provide "intellectual depth" to the BJP's Rajya Sabha contingent. In most cases Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has to fight a lone battle of wits for the BJP in the Upper House.
Can the BJP take back the Rajya Sabha after the Assembly elections?
In the balance hangs the GST Bill, which enjoys some support across the aisle, but has been blocked in the Upper House by the Congress and some of its allies
 "Can the BJP take back the Rajya Sabha after the Assembly elections?")
Government faces heat in Rajya Sabha over inflammatory speeches
Gulam Nabi Azaid said rresponsible speeches by elected representatives sending wrong signal
 "Government faces heat in Rajya Sabha over inflammatory speeches")
Uproar in Rajya Sabha as opposition calls for Smriti Irani's apology on Durga remark
Meanwhile, the HRD Minister said her comments in the Upper House were made on veracity of facts
 "Uproar in Rajya Sabha as opposition calls for Smriti Irani's apology on Durga remark")
Uproar in Rajya Sabha as opposition calls for Smriti Irani's apology on Durga remark
Irani was accused of raising "objectionable" comments made outside against a god, as she defended herself in the JNU issue