Battle lines remained drawn in Parliament on Monday, as the all-party meeting called by the government to break the fortnight-long deadlock failed to bring any consensus.
While Question Hour ran its full course in the Lok Sabha amid protests, Rajya Sabha was adjourned within minutes in the morning as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj > sought to make a statement on the Lalit Modi scam. Ms. Swaraj stated that she did not make any recommendation to the British government to provide travel papers to the former IPL chief.
Earlier, the Congress made it clear that there can be "no productive discussion & no meaningful proceedings as long as those responsible for wrong-doings remain in office". Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, party president Sonia Gandhi reminded that the BJP was the author of the "resign-now-debate-later" principle of parliamentary practice which it had used against the UPA at least five times in 10 years.
Meanwhile, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan suspended 25 Congress MPs from Lok Sabha for five days for causing "grave disorder" in the House.
Live updates:
5:07 pm: "This message is for everyone. Everyone has to go by rules," says Sumitra Mahajan to ANI , on Congress MPs suspension.
4:57 pm: Congress to boycott Lok Sabha for five days
4:55 pm: There is an undeclared emergency in the country, says Ghulam Nabi Azad
4:47 pm: When questioned about the Speaker's action of suspending his party MPs, Mr. Kharge says, "don't want speak against her but we are hurt."
4:46 pm: Gujarat model of conducting legislature being brought to Parliament, says Kharge.
4:42 pm: AAP too decides to boycott Lok Sabha for five days.
4:35 pm: Expressing solidarity with the suspended Congress MPs, Trinamool Congress has decided to boycott the parliamentary proceedings for five days.
4: 20 pm: All 25 suspended Congress MPs refuse to leave the House even as other opposition parties call for revocation of disciplinary action.
3: 40 pm: Speaker suspends them for causing "grave disorder" in the House.
3: 30 pm: 25 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha for five consecutive days by Speaker for carrying placards into the House.
3: 30 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am Tuesday.
3: 15 pm: "The government is escaping its accountability to the Parliament," says Sitaram Yechury.
2: 55 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day.
2: 40 pm: Govt says no question of resignation. "Our ministers have done nothing wrong. No comparison between acts of NDA ministers and UPA ministers," says Venkaiah Naidu.
2:15 pm: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad addresses the media outside Parliament.
12:56 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m.
12:08 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 p.m.
11:45 am: Demand of 'first resign then debate' not right; Congress has lost its faith in democracy, appeal Congress to let the House function: Nitin Gadkari.
11:43 am: Congress not letting the House to function smoothly, Vyapam case subjudice in court: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
11:20 am: Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon.
11:18 am: Allegations levelled against me are baseless, says the External Affairs Minister. "Did not request the British govt. for travel documents."
11:15 am: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj makes a statement on the Lalit Modi issue.
10:59 am: BJP is the author of ‘resign now, debate later’ principle which it had used in at least five occasions during UPA rule. We are only following it: Sonia Gandhi
10:50 am: Attacking the Prime Minister over his “silence”, Ms. Gandhi says champion of ‘Mann ki Baat’ appears to have retreated to ‘Maun Vrat’.
10:42 am: The Congress president says, "Govt. using numerical strength as a sources of arrogance rather than responsibility, trying to substitute investigation by mere discussion. This is unacceptable."
10:40 am: We are raising very important issue with strong evidence, but government is unwilling to take action in this regard, says Sonia Gandhi at a meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party.
10:35 am: Ms. Gandhi says BJP’s stand of discussion and dialogue first and action later is not acceptable to Congress: sources.
Following is today’s schedule for both Houses of Parliament:
Lok Sabha:
Appropriation (Railways) Bill, 2015, for introduction, consideration and passing.
Bills for consideration and passing:
The Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2014.
The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
Short duration discussion on sustainable development goals.
Rajya Sabha:
Bills for consideration and passing:
The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015.
The Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2015.
The top developments:
| 1 | The government on Friday decided to call an all-party meeting to break the deadlock that has already washed away half of the monsoon session of Parliament. >Read more |
| 2 | This olive branch was extended by the government to all parties an hour after Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu blamed the Congress for stalling India’s growth story by pinning the Parliament impasse on the principal opposition party. >Read more |
| 3 | In an exclusive interview, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told The Hindu that a debate on the floor of the House would expose the Congress. >Read more |
| 4 | “The Congress has jumped into protests in Parliament without planning an exit route. It is caught in a situation of its own making,” he said. |
| 5 | Union Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman went a step further, saying the Congress was “only pretending to ask for a debate and actually running from it.” >Read more |
| 6 | What angered the Congress particularly was Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Facebook post picking holes in the party’s position on the goods and services tax, and asking, “Should the obstructionism of the Congress party inflict economic injury on the country?” |
| 7 | Reacting to Mr. Jaitley’s post, Congress leader Anand Sharma told The Hindu: “His statement is provocative and has confirmed our understanding that the government is not constructive in its engagement with the Opposition. |
| 8 | The Congress has insisted that the issue of action against three top BJP leaders should be on the agenda if the deadlock in Parliament is to be broken. >Read more |
| 9 | Mr. Naqvi dismissed the possibility of agreeing on forming a joint parliamentary committee into either the Vyapam scam or on the alleged misuse of office by Ms. Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in helping the former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. |
| 10 | The Congress had made it clear that its participation in the all-party meeting to break the deadlock in Parliament depended on a “tangible” proposal from the Prime Minister on the Opposition’s demands. |
(with inputs from agencies)
