PARLIAMENT PASSES 6 BILLS AMID PROTESTS

NEW DELHI: The last week of Parliament’s monsoon session started with fresh momentum in the government’s legislative agenda on Monday. Both Houses passed three bills each, ignoring protests and objections of the Opposition.

In the Rajya Sabha, a motion to refer bills to select committees was defeated, some Opposition members staged a walkout in protest against the last-minute inclusion of bills. The Centre agreed to debate farm issues in the RS — one of Opposition’s key demands.

But Opposition parties will meet on Tuesday morning to take a call on participation as they’re insisting on a debate on the Pegasus snooping row. The quick pace of the passage of bills also raised doubts on whether the government wants to end the session earlier than scheduled.

Late on Monday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Centre’s scheduled discussion on ‘The agricultural problems and solutions’ has “nothing to do with my notice given on July 23rd on the ongoing farmers’ agitation”, where he sought a discussion in Parliament over the issue.

The Tribunal Reforms Bill was passed after a division on the motion to refer it to a select committee was defeated. The Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a walkout later.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, earlier lashed out at the government over the inclusion of the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill in the supplementary list of business, alleging that it was the government’s way of ensuring the passage of bills.

In the Lok Sabha, the Congress, TMC and some other Opposition parties protested against the introduction of two bills — The National Commission for Homoeopathy (Amendment) Bill, and The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (Amendment) Bill, 2021—replacing ordinances.