The parliament budget session resumes on Monday, two days after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.
Here are the updates
Om Birla, Speaker, adjourns the House till 11 a.m. on 4 February, 2020.
S. Jagathrakshahan, DMK, (Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu) says "The President's speech was more like a promise list of an election manifesto." Farmer suicides, low GDP, sinking job market and disappointing foreign policy was not addressed in the Address, he says. He says India dropping lower on the World Happiness Index ranking is proof that much is lacking in the society today and proceeds to list all those issues which require to be solved.
"Our President's speech was most disappointing," says A.M. Arif, CPI(M), (Alappuzha, Kerala), adding "The CAA was said to be passed in an aim of fulfilling Gandhiji's dreams. But I must say, there must be a limit to defaming Gandhiji." The CAA was not Gandhi's dream but the dream of Godse and Savarkar, he says.
Malook Nagar of the BSP, (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh) speaks about the need to increase the Minimum Support Price of sugarcane.
Ritesh Pandey, BSP, (Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh) speaks next followed by Jasbir Singh Gill of the INC (Khadoor Sahib, Punjab). Sunil Dattatray Tatkare of the NCP (Raigad, Maharashtra) and Ajay Misra of the BJP (Kheri, Uttar Pradesh) also speak.
Vinayak. B. Raut speaks for the Shiv Sena (Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg,Maharashtra) during the discussion on Motion of Thanks on President's Address.
Pinaki Misra, BJD, (Puri, Odisha) speaks next and says that the President speaks of "competitive cooperative federalism" in his Address. "But this must be seen in context to provide a level playing field - unequals cannot play on the same field." "Today there is a muscular central government and the States should be vigilant to ensure that the country does not become unitary with a mild federal flavour," he adds.
The spate of natural disasters that the State of Odisha, Mr. Misra says, has put the State behind by 20 years and cannot be put on a par with other States. "And this appeal for special focus on States affected by natural calamities have gone unheeded in the Address," he says.
Like Mr. Raut, he too says GST compensation has not reached the State since September.
Mahua Moitra, TMC, rises to oppose the motion. The people of India today are on the streets, she says. As a government, you lack humility, she says.
“Do not go beyond the tenets of democracy. I was not part of the 31% that voted for you in 2014 or the 37% who voted for you in 2019. But you have betrayed the very citizen who voted for you. You came to power because a very large section of ordinary people cast aside whatever reservations they might have had and believed you when you said ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’.
“You have the betrayed the youth who were looking for jobs, the small businessmen with GST, tribals in Gujarat whose land you took away to build a statue.”
She quotes Holocaust survivors. “Today the citizen is finally standing up to bullies.”
“You have a tendency to rubbish every economic expert who disagrees with you. But your CEA says that all numbers are bound to be negative.”
He says Ministers are making inflammatory statements, provoking attacks on protesters. He says that Ministers are made to speak this way by their political masters. He says that a person banned by the Election Commission (Parvesh Sahib Singh) is speaking in the House as the main speaker of the BJP.
T.R. Baalu speaks next. He says the Opposition has not united enough to challenge the government.
House reconvenes and is immediately adjourned for the day.
Meenakshi Lekhi, in the Chair, asks Members to move amendments.
P.K. Kunhalikutty says India has slipped in its ranking in the Economic Intelligence Unit. “We are known internationally for our intolerance now.”
Opposition asks why no Cabinet Ministers are present in the House.
Gaurav Gogoi says the people of India are quoting the Constitution and protesting in the streets. The ruling party thinks they can rule like dictators once they have won elections, he says.
Mr. Singh asks the Opposition to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and that all their sins will be washed away if they say so.
He also says that the Modi government will come back to power in 2024 too.
Ram Kripal Yadav of the BJP speaks next. he then lists the schemes of the government.
He says the Congress didn't do anything about GST or Article 370 as it was worried about its vote bank.
He asks if the building of a Ram Mandir should be decided by vote banks. He says the Delhi government pays salaries of imams, but has forgotten pujaris and granthis.
House reconvenes. Deputy Chairman Harivansh is in the Chair. Opposition raises slogans demanding a discussion on CAA. Chair refuses. Slogan shouting continues. House adjourned till 3 p.m.
House reconvenes and the discussion on the President’s Address resumes.
Parvesh Sahib Singh wishes for Sonia Gandhi to get well soon. At the same time, he recalls her ‘ maut ka saudagar ’ remark and says that only the BJP works for the country.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Opposition in the House, calls the government "fake Hindu", saying their "bullets cannot quash the voice of the masses".
House is adjourned till 1:30 p.m.
House is adjourned again till 2 p.m. Even as deputy chairman Harivansh tried to initiate Question Hour, TMC members walked into the Well of the House demanding a discussion of nationwide protests against CAA-NRC. Congress members also backed their demand.
Speaker Om Birla is in the Chair.
Question Hour is underway as the Opposition chants 'goli maarna bandh karo' (stop firing bullets).
National Council Vocational Training Courses under PMKVY are being discussed.
Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey , Minister, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, is responding to questions.
Jagadambika Pal, BJP, asks what steps will be taken to reduce dropout rates among youth who have undergone skill-development programmes.
Low consumption by PMUY beneficiaries is being discussed.
Nishikant Dubey, BJP, asks if free gas cylinders will be provided by the government at any point.
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister, Petroleum and Natural Gas, responds to Members' questions.
The Goods and Services Tax is being discussed. The Opposition continues to raise slogans against the CAA and the NRC.
Anurag Thakur, MoS, Finance, says in the last 3 months, the GST collection has been consistently increasing.
Nama Nageswara Rao, TRS, alleges that in Telangana, approximately Rs 5000 crore GST IGST is pending and demands its immediate release.
Mr. Thakur responds, saying all compensation will be released in two installments.
Banking frauds are being discussed.
Mr. Thakur responds to a question, saying NPA had increased rapidly under the UPA government. Asset quality reviews have reduced NPAs now, he says, adding that NPAs have reduced from Rs 8.96 lakh crore to Rs 7.27 lakh crore.
Ganesh Singh, BJP, raises the issue of chit fund companies and asks from 2004-14 how many such frauds have been committed.
Mr. Thakur responds, saying State governments have been given rights to take strict measures against chit fund scams. In the period of 2004-14 Rs 40 lakh crore was given out in loans which caused a rise in frauds. Asset quality reviews were introduced soon after, he says.
The Opposition raises slogans against "politics of hatred". They hold placards reading "Save India".
Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM, lends his support to the students of Jamia, adding that the state has been brutalising them.
Question Hour ends.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 p.m. by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu after rejecting Opposition's demand to have a debate on protests against Citizenship Amendment Act.
The TMC has moved amendments to the President’s address delivered on Friday at the beginning of the budget session, raising questions on his “silence” on issues relating to CAA protests, economic slowdown and Kashmir clampdown.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’ Brien and Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have moved amendments on behalf of the party in Rajya Sabha pertaining to the “silence” of the president on the ongoing protest against the CAA and demanding that the speech include the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the National Population Register (NPR).
(With inputs from PTI)
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