Parliament Monsoon Session updates | July 24, 2023

Proceedings will resume on Tuesday at 11.00 a.m.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh requests suspended AAP MP to leave the House.

Even after Home Minister Amit Shah’s request, members continue to raise slogans and placards of the INDIA Opposition combine.

Speaker Om Birla has adjourned the proceedings till Tuesday morning.

In his address to the Lower House, Mr. Shah says that he is requesting the Opposition to allow a discussion on Manipur violence to run in the House so that the nation can know the truth about the critical issue.

Upon Speaker Om Birla’s request, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is present in the House, addresses the Opposition members.

“Members from both Opposition and Treasury Benches have asked for a discussion on this sensitive issue (Manipur violence). I am ready to have this discussion in the House, I am not aware why the Opposition does not want to let it happen.”

The House reconvened at 2.00 p.m. to loud chants of “jawab do, jawab do” with Opposition members demanding answers from the Centre on Manipur violence.

Chair Rajendra Agrawal announces that only members who have been given permission to speak on matters under Rule should do so in the next 20 minutes but the same could not be taken up amid the loud sloganeering by Opposition benches.

Placards of the Opposition grouping INDIA can also be seen.

Mr. Agrawal has adjourned the House till 2:30 p.m. after his requests to members to let the proceedings carry on went unheeded.

Earlier in the day, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was suspended from Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon session for “unruly behaviour” during the Opposition’s protest in the House over Manipur violence.

However, Mr. Singh is present in the House as proceedings resume at 2.00 p.m. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh requests the MP to leave the House, but the Opposition breaks into protests, trying to raise Points of Order.

The Deputy Chairman has adjourned the House for another hour.

All opposition parties walk out of the Business Advisory Committee meeting in Rajya Sabha over the suspension of AAP MP Sanjay Singh for the current Monsoon session.

Post AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s suspension, opposition members and ministers express support for him. AAP minister Saurabh Bharadwaj calls it an attempt to muzzle Mr. Singh’s voice, while Delhi Minister and AAP MP Raghav Chadha says it is “against the spirit of democracy.”- With inputs from PTI and ANI

On the standoff between the Opposition and government over PM Modi’s statement on Manipur, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Prime Minister is accountable to the Parliament as he termed the position taken by the Centre as ‘bizarre’.

After suspending Sanjay Singh, Vice President Dhankhar adjourns the House till 2 p.m.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar names AAP MP Sanjay Singh. At around 12:10 pm, Mr. Singh storms into the well and approaches the Chair pleading for a debate on Manipur. A motion is moved by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal to suspend Mr. Singh for the rest of the session. It is adopted by the House by voice vote amid a loud chorus of protests from Opposition members.

BJP MP G.V.L Narasimha Rao asks the minister if there will be a special effort to improve coverage in north coastal Andhra district. The minister responds that the performance is very low in Andhra Pradesh and that they have not given the state share since 2021-22.

Amid noisy scenes, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya introduced the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 in the Lower House.

The government has moved to withdraw the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, from the Lok Sabha. The Bill was introduced in July, 2019 and referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change for examination.

Check out The Hindu video explaining the DNA Technology Regulation Bill and some of its controversial provisions.

The Rajya Sabha proceeds to Question Hour, as Opposition continues to protest vociferously.

A question is raised by BJP MP Neeraj Shekhar about tapped water and Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat responds, as Opposition continues sloganeering loudly.

Proceedings resumed at noon with the laying of papers on the table of the House even as the Opposition continued its protest. ‘INDIA for justice’ placards being displayed by members of the Opposition.

As leaders of the Opposition refused to stop their sloganeering in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla applealed to the protesting MPs not to disrupt proceedings of the House, while adding that slogans and placards will not bring any solution to the problem. He assured that a discussion will take place on the Manipur issue at 12 p.m. He, however, added that the Opposition can’t decide who will respond in Parliament.

Amid uproar and protests from Opposition against the Chair as he reads out rule 267 notices, the House is adjourned till 12 p.m.

The Chair announces that 11 notices have been received under rule 176 for short duration discussion of issues including violence during West Bengal panchayat polls, protests by SC youths in Chhattisgarh to challenge fake caste certificates, concerns over atrocities against women in Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Kerala, Jharkhand, and concerns over ethnic violence in Manipur. He announces that he has received 27 notices under rule 267.

A war of words takes place between Mr. Dhankhar and TMC leader Derek O’Brien, as Mr. O’Brien objects to the fact that while Mr Dhankhar mentioned the party affiliation of BJP MPs submitting notices, he skipped the same for the Opposition MPs while reading out details about their notices.

While proceedings in the Lower House resumed with Question Hour amid choas, Opposition MPs resorted to sloagneering and protests against the Centre and PM Narendra Modi. The Opposition is raising slogans of “ Pradhan Mantri jawab do”, “ Pradhan Mantri Sadan main aao” in Lok Sabha.

Secretary General P.C Mody reads out messages relayed from the Lok Sabha, pertaining to the following:

1. Nomination of one Rajya Sabha member to associate with the committee on public accounts of the House since Sukhendu Shekhar Ray will retire in August.

2. Nomination of ten members to associate to with the committee on welfare of OBCs.

3. Nomination of two members to joint committee on offices of profits

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar presiding. Oath and affirmation ceremony commences for a new member of the House- Saket Gokhale, AITC MP from West Bengal

Proceedings began on Monday amid uproar by Opposition MPs, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demanding the PM to address the House on the ongoing situation in Manipur.

In reply, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the House that the Centre is ready for a discussion in Parliament, but slogannering continued.

Opposition MPs demanding a statement from PM Modi on the Manipur issue, in New Delhi on Monday, July 24, 2023. (Credit: Special Arrangement)

“Why are they running away from discussions? Nobody is able to understand their strategy,” Union Minister Pralhad Joshi tells news agency ANI.

Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has moved a notice to discuss Manipur under rule 267.

In his notice, addressed to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, on July 21, Mr. Kharge mentions “Prime Minister’s shocking and unprecedented dereliction of duty and abandonment of Manipur for nearly 80 days.”

The INDIA Opposition alliance wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a comprehensive statement on Manipur in Parliament, after which a discussion would take place to express a collective sense of pain and desire for reconciliation, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.

The government has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion on the Manipur issue with the Home Minister replying to it, but the opposition is adamant on its demand for the prime minister’s statement first.

In a tweet, Mr. Ramesh said, “The 3rd day of the Monsoon session of Parliament begins today. INDIA’s demand is straightforward. PM should make a comprehensive statement on the horrific post-May 3 developments in Manipur, after which a discussion would take place to express our collective sense of pain, anguish and desire for reconciliation.” “No 5D drama that PM does to escape responsibility in such situations: He denies, ‘distorts’, diverts, deflects and ‘defames’. Will he rise to the occasion? Manipur is waiting. The nation is watching,” the Congress general secretary said. -PTI

1. Zero Hour

2. Bills to be introduced and considered in Rajya Sabha:

- The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023

-The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022

The following bills are to be introduced in Lok Sabha.

1. The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019

2. The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023

3. The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023

4. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022

5. The Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, as reported by Joint Committee

6. The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022