by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Pema Khandu
Itanagar : Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday changed his stance on the Citizenship Bill, asking Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh not to table the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
He made the appeal as he and his Manipur counterpart N. Biren Singh met Rajnath Singh in New Delhi to apprise him about the prevailing situation in their respective states in particular and in the northeast following the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha on January 8.
“We have requested the Home Minister not to table the Bill in the Rajya Sabha as there is lot of hue and cry in the northeastern states,” Khandu said.
Khandu, who is heading a BJP government in the border state, had been so far defending the bill which is facing strong opposition from civil society groups and the opposition Congress in his state and across the northeast.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
New Delhi : Vice-Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh launched Manohar Manoj`s book “A Crusade against corruption” on Saturday at the Press Club of India here.
Manoj said he has written this book after massive research and deep observations on the subject during the last 15 years and claimed that this is a kind of “Encyclopedic Snapshots on Corruption in India”.
The author has been closely monitoring the issue of corruption from various angles. His observations and findings have come into the form of this book.
“This book not only encompasses in it every aspect of corruption, which gets started from numerous meaning and definitions of corruption and then it brings all possible world history and then its prevalence in various forms of governments followed by various modalities to check corruption, Manoj said.
The book highlights how corruption is precipitated in many sectors, institutions, and professions, and affecting the lives of all Indians.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The revised triple talaq bill, which the government is keen on pushing through Parliament, could not be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Monday as the opposition insisted on sending it to a select committee. The treasury benches said the passage of the bill is being delayed deliberately.
The stalemate saw heated arguments between the opposition and the government, forcing Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh to adjourn the house for the day. Both sides accused the other of “doing politics”.
When the House met for the post-lunch sitting following an earlier adjournment, the Deputy Chairman said that the House will be taking up the triple talaq bill, passed by the Lok Sabha last week. However, opposition members were on their feet demanding that the bill be sent to the select committee.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government has been disregarding since 1993 the practice of sending important bills to the standing committee for legislative scrutiny.
“Since the government does not send such bills to the standing committee, the opposition in the Rajya Sabha is forced to fight for sending them to select committee,” he said.
Azad said the bill would affect crores of people in a positive or negative way and its scrutiny by parliament was essential. He said the opposition parties want to move a resolution that the bill should be sent to select committee.
Referring to the protest in the House by AIADMK members over a proposed dam on Cauvery river, he said 90 per cent of the opposition parties want the House to function.
Trinamool Congress member Derek O’Brien said most opposition parties are united in their demand for select committee and are willing to debate and pass it after due parliamentary scrutiny. He said he had given notice for sending the bill to select committee.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said that the opposition is delaying the passage of the bill by demanding scrutiny by select committee.
“A message should go to the country that the opposition is creating road blocks to the passage of the bill. They are not in favour of Muslims. They are not in favour of giving women their rights. They are doing politics,” he said.
“We are ready to debate it. The debate should begin now,” he added.
As the stalemate persisted, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for 15 minutes. When the House reassembled, opposition members were again on their feet, persisting with their demand.
Congress leader Anand Sharma said the minister has cast aspersions on the opposition and made false allegations.
He said the opposition is not opposed to the bill. “The government is doing politics. Without legislative scrutiny, the bill cannot be passed,” he said.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the issue concerns humanity.
“Triple talaq is taking place despite Supreme Court outlawing it. The bill should not be delayed. The government is willing to consider suggestions of the opposition,” he said.
Harivansh had earlier expressed his anguish over repeated adjournments of the House, saying the entire country is watching.
He said people are seeing that Lok Sabha is conducting its business but the upper house is not functioning.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance making triple talaq a criminal offence, a bill on which is pending in the Rajya Sabha.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave the information to the media after the cabinet meeting.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday allowed its Select Committee to submit its report on The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill in the second week of winter session of Parliament.
The committee was scheduled to submit its report by August 8.
BJP’s Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who heads the Select Committee, moved the motion to extend the time given for presenting the report.
The motion was later adopted by the House.
The Bill was referred to the Select Committee following Opposition’s demand that the proposed legislation needed closer scrutiny.
The Bill was introduced in the Upper House last month by Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma, but it could not be taken up as the Opposition members, including from Congress, protested and demanded it should be sent to a select committee.
The demand was supported by Samajwadi Party, Left parties, DMK, RJD and others.
The Bill, that amends the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, was passed by the Lok Sabha in January this year.
The Bill defines a ‘prohibited area’ as an area of 100 metres around a protected monument or area, but it makes a provision for the Central government to extend the prohibited area beyond 100 metres.
It does not permit construction in such prohibited areas, but the Bill amends this provision allowng construction of public works in ‘prohibited areas’ for public purposes.
—IANS
