Parliament Live: Centre may bring Women Reservation Bill during special session, say sources.
Parliament: Centre has dropped the bill on the appointment of CEC, other election commissioners.
Congress chief and LoP in Rajya Sabah Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the House on the first day of the special session. He said that Pt Nehru laid the foundation stone of Indian democracy, adding the stones in the foundation are not visible to anyone.
Parliamentary Panel of Vice Chairpersons reconstituted with effect from 13th September 2023. Members are – Kanta Kardam, Sumitra Balmik, Mamata Mohanta, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Narain Dass Gupta, V. Vijayasai Reddy and Dr. Santanu Sen
Special Session of Parliament: In Lok Sabha, PM Modi says, “There was a terror attack (on the Parliament). This was not an attack on a building. In a way, it was an attack on the mother of democracy, on our living soul. The country can never forget that incident. I also bow before those who took bullets to their chest to protect the Parliament and all its members, while fighting the terrorists…”
Special Parliament Session: DMK MP Tiruchi Siva says, “…These bills don’t warrant a special session. Yesterday, the circular they issued said that it is only a normal course of session…It can be presumed that the winter session has been preponed. What’s on the agenda of the government, we are still not aware of it. So we are still in the dark. This session and the bills that have been listed don’t correlate.”
PM Narendra Modi remembered the historic ‘Tryst with destiny’, ‘Sarkarein ayengi jayengi’ speeches of former PMs Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, Atal Bihar Vajpayee respectively.
Special Session of Parliament: In Lok Sabha, PM Modi says, “India will be proud that when it was the president (of the G20), the African Union became its member. I cannot forget the emotional moment that when the announcement was made, African Union President said that perhaps he will break down while speaking. You can imagine the fortune India had, to fulfill such a huge hopes and expectations…It is India’s strength that it (unanimous Declaration) became possible…Under your chairmanship the P20 – Summit of G20 Parliament Speakers – you announced, will have our full support.”
Rajya Sabha leader Piyush Goyal addresses House and remembers previous parliamentarians.
PM Narendra Modi recalled his first day as an MP while talking about the old parliament building. He said it was the power of democracy that a boy of a poor family reached parliament as an MP.
Addressing the Lok Sabha on first day of special session, PM Modi said that the old building will be a source of inspiration and it is a chapter of India’s golden history.
PM Narendra Modi addresses the Lok Sabha as special parliament session begins.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrives at the Parliament for the special session.
Special Session of Parliament: BJP leader Dinesh Sharma takes oath as a Member of the Parliament (MP) in Rajya Sabha.
On the special session of Parliament BRS MP K Keshava Rao says, “We don’t know the agenda, yesterday they gave the agenda which we have already passed, The two bills which Rajya sabha has passed except that post office bill…We really believe that they will bring the Women’s Reservation Bill. As far as BRS is concerned we are very committed, we want Women’s Reservation and OBC bills…I will be missing a beautifully architectured, well-built (building). It imbibes some kind of nostalgic values…Nothing can match my old building.”
TDP MPs protest against the arrest of former Andhra Pradesh CM and party’s chief N Chandrababu Naidu near the Gandhi statue on Parliament premises.
“LoP of Andhra Pradesh and TDP national president has been illegally arrested and kept in prison without any evidence. We believe that it is an illegal arrest. We are moving to the courts, legal process is going on. But it is high time that the Central Govt takes note of what is happening in Andhra Pradesh…We will try to take every opportunity possible to raise this issue inside and outside the Parliament..,” says TDP MP Jayadev Galla.
I.N.D.I.A bloc parties decide to participate in the special session of Parliament and will raise important issues, said sources, as quoted by ANI.
On the special session of Parliament, CPI MP Binoy Viswam says, “We don’t understand why this government is keeping a wheel of secrecy around all these things. This secrecy wheel has continued till now. The Parliament is beginning today, till now this wheel of secrecy has been there for what? This shows that the BJP is a party of a conspiratorial nature, secrecy and anti-democratic thoughts. If they come with the Women’s Reservation Bill, no doubt we will support it.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrive at the Parliament.
PM Modi reached the old Parliament building and addressed the press ahead of the session. He called the special sitting of both Houses ‘session of historic decisions’.
A meeting of Floor leaders of the INDIA alliance’s parties is underway at LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s office in Parliament House to chalk out the strategy for the Floor of the House.
Aam Aadmi Party issues whip for all its MPs in the Rajya Sabha.
“All members of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Rajya Sabha are hereby, informed that some very important issues will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha in the upcoming special session. In view of this, all members of the Aam Aadmi Party are requested to be positively present in the house from 11 AM onwards until the adjournment of the House from 18th September to 22nd September 2023 and support the stand of the party.“
Congress says the BJP does not have the courage to bring a Bill on One National One Election.
“BJP doesn’t have the courage to bring it (Bill on One National One Election in the Parliament Special Session). This was a lie to divert people’s attention from the Mumbai meeting (of INDIA bloc),” says Pramod Tiwari.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari says, “We are going to the new Parliament with a lot of memories (from the old Parliament building) to fight for democracy and eradicate poverty. We hope that we are successful.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak today in Lok Sabha at the special session of Parliament, reported ANI quoting sources.
Background
Parliament Special Session Live: Please follow this space for all the news and latest updates relating to parliament’s five-day special session.
The five-day ‘Amrit Kaal’ session of parliament begins today at the old building, a day after an all-party meeting was held in the national capital. The session will run from Sept 18-22, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had said. The Centre had announced the convening of the session last month, however, it did not release any agenda at first. A war of words had erupted between the ruling dispensation and Congress over the business of the House. The government later released the agenda mentioning four bills, two will be taken up in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage.
The session will witness a discussion on Parliament’s 75-year journey and House proceedings moving to the new building. On Tuesday, on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, an assembly of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will take place in the Central Hall to “commemorate the rich legacy of the Parliament of India and resolve to make Bharat a developed Nation by 2047”. There will be a photo session after this in the inner courtyard of the old building.
Meanwhile, an all-party meeting in Delhi on Sunday pushed the Centre to introduce the Women Reservation Bill in parliament, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, as reported by PTI. On the parties’ demand for the Women Reservation Bill, Union minister Pralhad Joshi said the decision will be taken at “appropriate time”.
The government also announced a new dress code for the Parliament staff. PTI reported that various departments are all set to don these new uniforms. The new dress code with floral motif already created a stir with Congress questioning why the lotus flower was there in the design. Notably, Lotus is the poll symbol of the BJP.
Before the session, Congress lashed out at the Centre and said that the BJP-led government released the ‘tentative’ agenda for the five-day special Parliament session under pressure of the letter written by Sonia Gandhi. The party also said that it will oppose the Bill on the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner. Last week, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Narendra Modi, saying that the agenda of the special Parliament session ought to be disclosed to all parties.
In her letter, Gandhi stated that there was no information on the agenda of the session and listed nine issues for discussion: demand for JPC, caste census, rise in communal tensions in different states, inflation, growing unemployment, rise in inequalities and distress of MSMEs. She also raised the point of commitment made by the Centre with regard to Minimum Support Price. Other issues included Manipur violence, border tussle with China, natural disasters across country and ‘damaging’ Centre-State relations.
