Parliament Winter Session Highlights: Opposition submits no confidence motion against VP Dhankhar

Parliament Winter Session: 'Disrespect of Chair's dignity,' says Kiren Rijiju, condemning INDIA bloc's no-confidence motion against RS Chairman

On December 12, Kiren Rijiju, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, criticised the INDIA Bloc's no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, stating that the opposition had shown disregard for the prestige of both parliamentary chambers' leadership positions.

During a press briefing, Rijiju expressed satisfaction with Jagdeep Dhankhar's performance as Rajya Sabha Chairman. He confirmed the NDA's numerical advantage in the house.

"The opposition disrespects the dignity of the Chair, be it in Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. We all know that in the parliamentary tradition, the Speakers of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are our guides. Whoever sits on the chair, we have to obey them. Congress party and their alliance continuously behaved wrongly by not following the direction of the Chair," he said.

Parliament Winter Session: Opposition not letting Parliament function, says BJP's Sambit Patra

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra on Tuesday slammed the opposition, saying it is unfortunate that they are not allowing Parliament to function.
He also targeted Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi saying, "Rahul Gandhi ji doesn't know how to behave like an LoP."

Parliament Winter Session: Govt not allowing discussion in Parliament on plight of Hindus in Bangladesh, says Sena (UBT)

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday criticized the BJP-led Union government for not allowing a discussion in Parliament on violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. In an editorial published in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana, it accused the BJP of practicing "politically transactional, selfish and hypocritical" Hindutva.

The editorial argued that the BJP's version of Hindutva focuses on instilling fear among Hindus by raising slogans like "Batenge to Katenge" (divided we perish) and emphasizing issues like the Uniform Civil Code and amendments to the Waqf Board Act.

"They (BJP) are scared of discussing the Adani issue. I am new in Parliament but till now the PM was not seen in the Parliament. Why should we not raise this issue?" Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

Parliament Winter Session: 'Treasury bench doesn't want to run the House,' says TMC MP Mahua Moitra.

"Treasury bench doesn't want to run the House, they don't want any discussion. This is absolute shame," said Moitra.

Parliament Winter Session: 'It is the most ridiculous thing,' says Congress MP Priyanka Vadra

"It is the most ridiculous thing they could come up with. They are talking about some 1994 thing, no one has any record of it. No one knows what they are talking about. The only reason they are doing this is because they don't want to discuss the Adani issue," said Vadra on BJP alleging links between George Soros and Sonia Gandhi.

Parliament Winter Session: 'All parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but to submit a no-confidence motion against the chairman of the Rajya Sabha,' says Jairam Ramesh.

Parliament Winter Session: 'There is internal democracy in the INDIA alliance,' says Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi.

"There is internal democracy in the INDIA alliance, people are putting forth their views but the country knows who the leader is, the country knows who has covered the roads by walking 4,000 kilometres, the country knows who is fighting with his head held high against the communal politics, corruption, dictatorship in this country, his name is Rahul Gandhi," said Pratapgarhi.

Parliament Winter Session: 'Govt doesn't want to run the House,' says Congress MP Manish Tewari.

"It's very evident that the government doesn't want to run the House. There was no provocation when the House was adjourned yesterday without any ado. There was no provocation today. And again the House has been adjourned for the full day. They don't want a discussion on the 75 years of the working of the Constitution. And therefore the government wants to wipe out the entire Parliament session. There is no other explanation for this behaviour," said Tewari.

Parliament Winter Session: 'Ruling party is not letting the Parliament function,' says Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"It is the misfortune of the country that the ruling party is not letting the Parliament function. This is causing a loss worth crores of rupees. A Parliament is called to discuss the issues. This has happened for the first time in the history of India that the ruling party is hindering the House proceedings," said Surjewala.

Parliament Winter Session: Opposition reportedly submits no confidence motion against VP Dhankhar

Parliament Winter Session: 'Unfortunate that the opposition is not letting the Parliament function,' says BJP MP Sambit Patra.

"It is unfortunate that the Opposition is not letting the Parliament function. It is not dignified that they come wearing jackets, masks at times. I think they are mistaken in their understanding of democracy. It was surprising to see Rahul Gandhi recording people wearing masks. This is not how a Leader of Opposition behaves. Rahul Gandhi ji doesn't know how to behave like LoP. This is not a fashion show going on in the Parliament. Today, we can see that Samajwadi Party does not respect Rahul Gandhi and says that they do not consider him or Malliakarjun Kharge as the leader of INDIA bloc. TMC has spoken about INDI bloc's strike rate under Rahul Gandhi's leadership. Some leaders have talked about projecting Mamata ji as the leader of INDIA bloc...Is Rahul Gandhi still holding to INDI alliance or he is not in the capacity of heading INDIA alliance?," said Patra.

Other MPs want debate but Rahul Gandhi enjoys tamasha: BJP reacts to Congress mock interview

Union minister of parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying while MPs from other parties like TMC, SP want to engage in Parliament debate and discussion, Rahul Gandhi wants to bring the proceedings to a standstill by creating "tamasha".Referring to Rahul Gandhi's mock interview along with colleagues sporting Adani and PM Modi masks, the minister said that the Congress leader has "nothing to lose because he can't feel people's pain & problem". Read more

Parliament Winter Session: 'I will again raise the issue of Soros,' says BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

"Today, during the Zero Hour, I will again raise the issue of Soros. The way Congress divided the nation with foreign powers, they are trying to do the same again. They have to answer my 10 questions," said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.

Parliament Winter Session: Both Houses adjourned till noon amid ruckus by opposition.

Parliament Winter Session: 'What is George Soros' connection with Sonia Gandhi?,' asks Union minister Giriraj Singh.

"Why are they not giving a clarification and what is George Soros' connection with Sonia Gandhi? They are not letting the House run and then creating chaos outside the House," said Singh.

Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned till noon amid protest by opposition MPs seeking to raise their issues.

Parliament Winter Session: Rahul, Priyanka carry 'Modi-Adani' bags as oppn protests outside Parliament

Parliament Winter Session: 'We try our best to run the House,' says Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"We try our best to run the House, but for some reason, the government doesn't want it. We are staging the protest outside and going inside to try and run the House. However, the government doesn't want it," said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Parliament Winter Session: 'Whatever may be the issues, we should not disrupt the parliamentary proceedings,' says Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju

"Whatever may be the issues, we should not disrupt the parliamentary proceedings. Many MPs including MPs from the Samajwadi Party, TMC and the Congress have come to me. The entire Congress party in Rajya Sabha are looking for debate and discussion in the House. It is only Rahul Gandhi who doesn't want to take part in the parliamentary proceeding. Probably Rahul Gandhi doesn't believe in parliamentary democracy. But all other MPs are very interested in having debates and discussions in the House. Every MP is concerned about their constituency... Rahul Gandhi doesn't have to bother about any issues... He doesn't have any understanding about the plight of the people... So whenever the Congress MPs have come to me, I told them to convince their leader. The government is not weak. We have numbers... If there are important businesses and bills which need to be passed, we will do it... We are not doing this right now because we want a proper discussion on those issues... We are looking for inputs from all the members of Parliament. The Opposition cannot block the functioning of the Parliament. Whenever it comes to passing of the bills, the government can do it," said Rijuju.

Parliament Winter Session: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reaches for the meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs

Parliament Winter Session: 'The ruling party is halting process in both the Houses,' says Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi

"In both the Houses, the ruling party is halting the procedures in a systematic manner. We have not had a chance to speak in the Lok Sabha after the Thursday of last week. The government does not want to have any discussions," said Gogoi.

Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reaches for the meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs

Parliament Winter Session: Jairam Ramesh attacked govt over ruckus in Rajya Sabha

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh later attacked the government over ruckus in Rajya Sabha on Monday and alleged that it does not want the House to function.

He also alleged that the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to speak while Leader of the House and Union Minister JP Nadda got a "a number of chances to speak".

He said the opposition wants the House to run and raise various issues.

Speaking with ANI, Jairam Ramesh also said that several BJP MPs were selectively called upon to speak by the Chairman.

"What we witnessed in the Rajya Sabha today was surprising and unfortunate. The chairman is like an umpire and is neutral but today the Leader of the Opposition as not get an opportunity to speak. The leader of the House was got multiple chances and specific BJP MPs were given chances to speak," he said.

"We hold the chairman in high regard. He has served as a Governor before and has expressed concern about farmers' issues. But it is unclear why today he was compelled not to allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak," Jairam Ramesh added.

Parliament Winter Session: To save one man, govt jeopardising ties with another country, says Congress

Strongly refuting BJP’s allegations of top Congress functionaries colluding with billionaire investor George Soros to destabilise the country, the opposition party on Monday claimed that the real conspiracy unravelling every day during the winter session of Parliament is the govt was ready to even put India’s ties with another country at stake just to save businessman Gautam Adani.

“It is important to expose a very serious conspiracy. Since the session began, this conspiracy is being exposed every day... it is becoming evident every day how BJP and the whole govt is trying to save one person and is ready to even put at stake India’s ties with another country,” Congress’s media and publicity department chairperson Pawan Khera said.

“This conspiracy began since about 2002. Then it was limited to a state but since 2014, this has become an international conspiracy. There is one issue the PM cannot tolerate and when that issue is raised, he loses self control. That one name is Adani. As soon as that name is taken, the PM gets rattled,” he added.

Parliament Winter Session: Government may refer bill on joint polls to JPC

Though there is no confirmation whether ‘one nation, one election’ (ONOE) bill will be introduced in the ongoing Parliament session as the draft bill awaits cabinet approval, there is a view within the govt to refer the legislation to a parliamentary panel for broader consultation with all political parties to reach a consensus on synchronising elections across India.

The proposal is seen as a significant reform to reduce time, cost and resources ex pended under the current staggered electoral system. The cabinet has already approved recommendations of the Ram Nath Kovind-led committee on simultaneous elections. Govt is focused on building consensus on the bill, with plans to refer it to a JPC for detailed deliberation.

“Since it is a sensitive issue, there should be a broader discussion and parliamentarians belonging to all parties should be given an opportunity to contribute their views,” a govt functionary said, adding that govt is serious about bringing the legislation, latest by the budget session next year.
Opposition has consistently criticised the proposal, describing it as “impractical, undemocratic and unconstitutional”. They argue that logistical and operational challenges of simultaneous elections could disrupt governance and weaken federal principles.

Implementing ONOE framework will require extensive constitutional amendments, including passage of at least six bills with two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament.

Parliament Winter Session: Opposition parties join hands in bid to oust Rajya Sabha chairman

A joint move against Rajya Sabha chairman has brought the INDIA bloc back together. The turbulent relations between Jagdeep Dhankhar and opposition came to a head on Monday with the rival camp considering submitting a notice “very soon” for moving a resolution to remove the vice president, who also serves as chairman of RS, from his office, sources said.

While the move may fail as the numbers are not in favour of opposition, it would be the first-ever attempt to remove the chairman in India’s parliamentary history, and would be seen as an embarrassment to the chair.

Opposition sources said they had the “required number of signatures” from all INDIA bloc parties when the move was first planned in Aug during monsoon session but they did not go forward as they decided to give Dhankhar “another chance” but his “conduct” Monday convinced them to go ahead.
Besides marshalling numbers, opposition also has to tackle the requirement of 14-day notice for the chairman’s removal. Sources said Congress had taken the lead on the issue and TMC and SP, besides other INDIA bloc parties, were supportive. “This is not about the chair, it is about BJP,” a TMC source said.

In Aug, sources said opposition parties were concerned that the microphone of the leader of opposition was allegedly being turned off repeatedly. “Opposition wants the House to be run by rules and conventions, and personal remarks against members are unacceptable,” another source said.

Parliament Winter Session: House adjourned after ruckus over Soros-Cong, Adani issues

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out Monday with BJP alleging Congress's links with George Soros and the opposition party claiming that the Adani group was being shielded by BJP. After repeated adjournments, both Houses were finally adjourned for the day amid heated exchanges.

When Lok Sabha met at 11am, opposition members were on their feet. Speaker Om Birla asked them to return to their seats and allow the House to function. "The country wants the House to run. You are disrupting proceedings," he said and adjourned the House till 12 noon.

As the House re-convened at noon, Congress members trooped into the well raising slogans against govt. They were joined by Samajwadi Party members. Congress MPs were heard saying that they had submitted notices to move a privilege motion against BJP's Nishikant Dubey for attempts to link Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to Soros-backed outfits allegedly involved in anti-India activities. TMC and RJD members stood in the aisle or at their seats in support of the protest. Noisy protests forced an adjournment till 2pm and then till 3pm, before proceedings were called off for the day. Read more