Cereals, pulses, onions removed from essentials list
NEW DELHI: In one of the most productive days in its history, Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, in a matter of three-and-a-half hours, passed seven key Bills including one that removes cereals, pulses and onion from the essential commodities list and another that abolishes penalty for certain offences by companies.
This after most of the Opposition, including the Congress, Left parties, the TMC, the Samajwadi Party and the NCP decided to boycott House proceedings in protest against the suspension of eight MPs for the remainder of the session for unruly behaviour. Only members from the ruling BJP and its ally JD-U and those of parties such as AIADMK, BJD, YSR-Congress and TDP, which have been extending support to the Modi government on various issues, participated in the debates on the Bills.
The Upper House took up government legislative business after nearly an hour of discussion over the conduct of opposition MPs during the passage of two agriculture reform Bills on Sunday, with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu saying the suspension could be revoked if the members expressed regret over their action. The Lok Sabha also passed three labour codes on Tuesday, with Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said the House is witnessing a historic day as these codes would provide salary security, social security and proper environment at workplaces to 50 crore workers of the country.
Monsoon session likely to end on Wednesday: The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely to conclude on Wednesday, eight days before it is scheduled to end, amid concerns of spread of coronavirus among lawmakers. Rajya Sabha is likely to adjourn sine die after taking up five bills on Wednesday. Lok Sabha, which will meet at 3 pm on Wednesday is likely to be adjourned sine die around 5 pm after taking up an extended Zero Hour.
NEW DELHI: With the opposition deciding to boycott the Rajya Sabha, its eight suspended MPs on Tuesday ended their overnight sit-in inside the Parliament House complex and said they would take their fight against the farm bills to the street.
The suspended Rajya Sabha parliamentarians, who spent the night on the lawns near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in what several old-timers said was the first such overnight protest in the complex, got a surprise visitor in the morning — Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh who came with tea and snacks.
On Tuesday, a number of opposition parties staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha and decided to boycott proceedings of the House till the suspension of eight members is revoked, even as the government insisted on their apology.
Among the parties that boycotted the proceedings of the House included the Congress, which was the among the first to walkout, followed by members of the CPM, CPI, TMC, NCP, SP, Shiv Sena, RJD, DMK, TRS and AAP.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu lamented that the chair has been dragged into the controversy and said members should not put the blame on the chair. He made a fresh appeal to members of all opposition parties to rethink their decision.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “The government is not hell-bent upon keeping the suspended MPs out of the House. If they express regret, the government will look into it.”