LIVE updates from Parliament: Manish Tewari from Congress noted that the FCRA has been used against government critics, while Sougata Roy from TMC said it was necessary to deregulate foreign contributions and not over-regulate.
Latest updates from Parliament: Congressional Manish Tewari noted that the FCRA has been used against government critics, while TMC’s Sougata Roy said it was necessary to deregulate foreign contributions and not overregulate.
During the period in which the Upper House was briefly suspended, Derek O’Brien tweeted a video from the central chamber of Parliament that read: ‘They cheated. They broke all the rules of Parliament. It was a historic day. In the worst sense of the word. They cut off the RSTV feed so the country couldn’t see.
The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill of 2020, and the Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services Act of 2020 passed amid protests from the opposition.
Vice President Harivansh asks if the House agrees to extend the proceedings from 1 pm until the disposition of the bills. The screaming continues. Vice President asks members who have left their seats to the well to return
“The agricultural production working group created by the Manmohan Singh government in 2010 recommended that APMC and corporate licensing monopolies should not be allowed,” asks BJP deputy Bhupender Yadav to Congress in the Upper House.
Opposing the agriculture bills introduced by Narendra Singh Tomar, Congressional MP Partap Singh Bajwa said these bills are ill-conceived and inopportune and Congress is opposed. “We will not sign this farmers’ death warrant,” he said.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Haryana unit will hold a statewide protest against the Center’s agricultural laws on Sunday during which they will block roads for three hours, including as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called for postponing the uproar. and invited them to talk.
Rajya Sabha is likely to agree to the controversial farm bills on Sunday with Congress and many opposition parties trying to put up a united front to oppose these proposed legislation, calling them anti-farmers and pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also coming. to various regional teams for support.
However, the numbers appear to be in favor of the ruling dispensation for Rajya Sabha to pass these bills, while the lower house has already passed them despite a key NDA member, Shiromani Akali Dal, vehemently opposed. to them.
Some key BJP leaders are said to be in contact with various opposition parties outside Congress to seek the support of their Rajya Sabha members for these bills.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance does not yet have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it in recent sessions to ensure the passage of various government-proposed legislation.
BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will gain the support of more than 130 members, including nine from the AIADMK and six from the YSR Congress, who are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills.
Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), was also being courted by the BJP, but its boss and Telangana Prime Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party’s MPs to vote against these bills. , claiming that they would cause great injustice to farmers in the country. country.
The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 from Congress.
All three SAD members will likely vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed his support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha.
Several other regional parties, including the three-member Aam Aadmi Party, the Samajwadi Party with eight seats and the BSP with four, have joined the ranks of the opposition in protest against these bills, but it may not be enough to hinder their approval.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energetic defense of the three bills and harsh criticism of the opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press ahead to gain the go-ahead from Parliament. for these measures they aimed to open private avenues for farmers to sell their products.
His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties, in addition to SAD, speaking out strongly against these bills, calling them “anti-farmers.”
Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws that their leaders allege will end up dismantling their existing government-backed support system.
A number of parties that have spoken out against this bill suggest that there are nearly 100 MPs so far opposing them. There is no clarity on the position of some small parties that have around a dozen members together.
Since Modi’s government took office for the second time in 2019, his rivals have been unable to scuttle any of his major bills due to a surge in the ranks of treasury banks and a corresponding drop in the ranks of treasury banks. the opposition.
The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services were approved by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Products Bill (Amendment) was approved on Tuesday.
These bills seek to replace ordinances already enacted by the government.
With opposition parties calling the three bills “anti-farmers” and SAD resigning its government to protest against them, Modi refuted their criticism, described these proposed laws as “historic” and claimed that they will free farmers by allow them to sell their products. anywhere at a better price.
A day after resigning from the Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she is “saddened” that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government pause in these laws by forwarding them to a parliamentary panel for further consultation. .
The government has presented these bills as farmer-friendly, saying they will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and are not subject to “mandis” regulations.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Thursday at Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their products to anyone and that these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help infrastructure development. agricultural and will generate employment.
However, opposition parties have criticized the bills as “anti-farmers”, claiming that the agricultural sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests.
Delhi’s Chief Minister and AAP Leader Arvind Kejriwal also called on all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he said would leave farmers in the hands of large companies for their exploitation.
At a meeting of the Lok Sabha business advisory committee, which has leaders from all parties in addition to government representatives and is chaired by the president, most political parties favored the shortening of the session, which began on September 14. and was scheduled to conclude on October 1.
The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs will make a final decision.
Minutes of Parliament on Saturday
On Saturday, the Lok Sabha approved the tax amendment bill after a detailed debate in which allegations of corruption flew by opposition and Treasury banks.
The Lower House also passed the 2020 Business (Amendment) Bill in an extended session.
The 2020 Tax and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, approved by the Lok Sabha, includes extending the deadlines for filing returns and linking PAN and Aadhaar, as well as allowing donations made to the PM CARES Fund to claim 100 percent. deduction in tax base.
The bill will replace the ordinance enacted by the Center in March.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha passed two bills: the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill and the Epidemic Disease (Amendment) Bill.
In addition, the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha: the Code of Safety, Health and Working Conditions, 2020, the Code of Labor Relations, 2020 and the Code of Social Security, 2020 .
Find the latest and upcoming tech gadgets online at Tech2 Gadgets. Receive tech news, gadget reviews and ratings. Popular devices including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, pricing and comparison.
