Parliament Monsoon Session updates | July 31, 2023

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourns the Upper House within minutes of reconvening amid protests by the Opposition.

Meanwhile, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi says that the Opposition should participate in a discussion about Manipur violence if they are “serious about it”.

Proceedings will resume on Tuesday at 11.00 a.m.

Opposition members raise loud chants asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement in Parliament.

Without any Opposition to the amendment, the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 has been passed. Lok Sabha has been adjourned till Tuesday, 11 AM

Lamenting the time crunch for debate of the Bill, Union Minister Anurag Thakur condemns the Opposition members’ protests for hampering the House’s proceedings. Mr. Thakur lauds the South film industry for gaining international fame. He adds that India could become the world’s content hub as even post-production of several movies are done in India.

The Chair urges Mr. Thakur to conclude his statement soon as Opposition’s cries of protest rise.

BJP MPs hail the the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which focuses on curbing piracy of movies and alters the age-based certification. BJP MP Manoj Tewari laments the lack of censorship in OTT platforms and says that the age-based certification would help maintain the society’s values.

Several other MPs rise to speak in support of the Bill, lauding the legislations’ clauses. However, the Lok Sabha Chair cuts off members’ statements as it exceeds the two minute time limit.

Rajya Sabha proceedings have been marred by protests throughout the Monsoon session.

Opposition persists with its demands for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with chants of “Pradhan Mantri sadan me aao (Prime Minister come to the House)“.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur explains features of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 as the Lower House takes it up for debate. Opposition members continue to protest passage of bills in the wake of a no-confidence motion being considered in the House.

Here’s the salient features of the Bill

Proceedings will resume at 2.30 p.m.

Meanwhile, Opposition protests continue with chants of “Manipur, Manipur”.

Why is the Opposition insisting on a debate about Manipur under Rule 267? Read here.

Chair Kirit Premji Solanki says that the Speaker has not admitted any of the suspension notices to discuss any other matter apart from those listed. Papers are being laid by various MPs in the House as Opposition continues to protest, demanding a detailed discussion on Manipur violence.

Amid heavy sloganeering, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 which has been already passed by Rajya Sabha, was passed without debate in the Lok Sabha.

Mr. Dhankhar says he will fix a date and time for the short-duration discussion, and that the House should continue with the listed business for now.

He also adds that he accepted a similar Notice on the issue previously as well, but the Opposition is insisting on a discussion on Manipur violence under Rule 267.

Upper House reconvenes to protests from Opposition parties

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday accused the Opposition of running away from a debate in Parliament on the ethnic violence in Manipur and wondered what was the use of getting elected if they wanted to raise issues on the streets.

“If you have to raise issues on the streets, then what is the use of getting elected to the House,” Thakur told reporters outside Parliament asserting that the government was ready for a debate on the situation in Manipur.

-PTI

In the middle of the Question Hour, ruckus from both the Treasury and Opposition benches began after Chairman Dhankhar said he would allow Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge to speak as an exception.

Mr. Dhankhar’s requests for maintaining order in the House went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 2 p.m.

The Upper House is holding the Question Hour as Opposition members engage in sloganeering, demanding the Prime Minister’s presence in the House to speaker on the Manipur situation.

Chairman Dhankhar welcomes a delegation of members of the National Assembly of Malawi who are here on a bilateral exchange visit.

The Opposition has accused the government of insulting Parliament by not holding a discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition and instead bringing bills in the House.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government should first hold a discussion on the no-trust motion. He also urged the ruling party MPs to visit violence-hit Manipur and understand for themselves the situation there.

-PTI

In response to Mr. Goyal’s proposal, which was later endorsed by the Chairman, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, remained adamant on the opposition’s demand that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must speak on the issue followed by a debate on the subject. No consensus could be reached and the House was adjourned till 12:00 pm.

The leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha stands up to ask why the Opposition members are running away from a discussion on Manipur when the government has already agreed to have one. He accuses the members of “spoiling” nine days of the House.

He adds that the discussion on Manipur should be held today itself, adding that the government is ready to have a discussion on Manipur at 2 p.m. today under Rule 176 instead of 267.

Rule 176 provides for a short-duration discussion, which is a brief discussion not exceeding two-and-a-half hours.

The House was adjourned within minutes after the commencement of proceedings on Monday as members of the Opposition resorted to sloganeering against the Centre and displayed placards near the Chair.

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha will resume at 2 p.m.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asks for a “feel of the House” on whether he should read out the names of members and the contents of their notices under Rule 267, for all the 65 submissions.

Slogans ‘Manipur, Manipur’ and ‘We want Manipur’ echo as the House conducts Question Hour. Since the start of the session, the Opposition has been demanding a statement from the Prime Minister on the situation in Manipur.

The copies of three Bills passed in the Lok Sabha on Friday- the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Amendment) Bill, 2023, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, have been laid on the table of the Upper House.

Proceedings in the Upper House have begun with new BJP MP from Goa Sadanand Shet Tanavade taking his Oath of Affirmation. Papers are now being laid on the table.

Proceedings in the Lower Hour began at 11 a.m. on Monday morning with Speaker Om Birla welcoming a delegation of representatives from Malawi.

This was followed by Question Hour amid uproar by the Opposition.

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Since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament last week, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha have been marred by continuous protests and disruptions over differences between the Opposition and the Government on the nature of discussion on the Manipur situation.

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