Winter Session Highlights: Both Houses adjourned, will resume at 11 am tomorrow

A DMK MP stoked a massive controversy by calling the Hindi heartland states as ‘Gaumutra’ states. Read more

While deliberating upon the two amendment Bills on reorganisation and reservation in Jammu and Kashmir tabled in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Manish Tewari questioned the constitutionality of repealing Articles 370 and 35A. He recalled the President's Proclamation released in 2018 and pointed out a clause which referred to the termination of Sections 1 and 2 of Article 3 of the Indian Constitution.

Note: Both sections talk about the separation of territory or uniting two or more states, as well as increasing the area of any state.

Tewari alleged that the idea of repealing Article 370 was incorporated in the Proclamation leading up to the President's Rule in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to the remarks, Union home minister Amit Shah said the clause in the Proclamation was a necessary step as passing the state's budget would only be possible then at a time when the state's legislative assembly stood dissolved.

Tewari responded Article 3 doesn't talk about the functioning of the state assembly rather it only talks about the reorganisation of the territory.

A delegation from Czech Republic visits the Indian Parliament.

"The people of this country should think that the power of this BJP is only winning elections mainly in the heartland states of Hindi, what we generally call the 'Gaumutra' states," said DMK MP DNV Senthilkumar S.

During the ongoing discussion on the amendment of two J&K Reorganisation and Reservation Bills, BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal drew attention to several benefits that the people of Ladakh received including “respite from the imposition of Urdu”, “transfer of files” during the transfer of winter and summer capitals of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir after the repeal of Article 370 and 35A.

"If India is growing at the fastest rate in the world, then why is the impact of the growth not felt on the ground? We are a large economy, we are growing at the fastest rate in the world & we have the largest FDI coming in, but why is it not seen on the ground? I specifically want to ask why is it not seen in the inflation and unemployment numbers?" Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram said while discussing the situation of the Indian economy.

While deliberating on the two J&K amendment Bills, NCP (Sharad Pawar) Supriya Sule remembered late BJP veterans Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj for their contributions to Indian politics. “Today, I miss Jaitely ji, Sushma ji…They were the only BJP leaders who advocated for the cooperative federalism.”

Owing to the Maratha quota agitation in Maharashtra, NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule asked about a discussion on a pan-India reservation. She was speaking amid the deliberations on the two J&K amendment bills, on of which talks about reservation for the people of the UT.

TMC MP Sougata Roy raised questions on the revocation of the Article 370 and 35A which led to the formation of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He asked the government about the outcomes after the Articles were repealed from the Consitution. He complained that the situation of people in Jammu and Kashmir has not improved since. To this, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Anurag Thakur rebutted the TMC MP and recalled the incidents of terror attacks and insurgency in the valley that took place during the rule of parties earlier.

Union home minister Amit Shah has raised to deliberate on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019. Meanwhile, Congress MP Amar Singh raised a set of questions regarding the newly-formed UT including the possible elections there along with the demand for reservation before Shah starts his speech.

Proceedings in both Houses resume

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived at Parliament on the second day of the winter session on Tuesday.

Shah is expected to move the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha later on Tuesday for consideration and passage.

Both Bills, as per the list of business in the Lower House, are to be moved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah for consideration.

"We all are surprised because we know that Congress, CPM and TMC, they are all hand-in-hand. There is a love affair going on between the three parties. I want to ask these three parties to not to have a love affair secretly, have it in the open, let the people of Bengal, India know that you are having a love affair," said BJP leader Agnimitra Paul on Congress' statement that there is 'political conspiracy' against TMC leader Mahua Moitra.

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi left Parliament. Meanwhile, senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal reached party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence for a meeting.

After the BJP secured a sweeping victory in the majority of the five-state assembly election, Opposition parties marshalled to question the viability of electronic voting machines (EVM) after senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleged that any machine with a chip can be hacked, stirring reactions from the saffron party. Read more

"This is just the start. They will break soon. They cannot do anything against PM Modi. He (PM) will win again," independent MP from Amravati Navneet Rana said reacting to Mamata Banerjee skipping the INDIA bloc meeting.

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday said she was not sure if the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee report on her in the alleged ‘cash-for-query’ case would be placed or not in Parliament. Read more

MoS Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti alleged the TMC-ruled West Bengal government of running ‘propaganda’ in the name of demand for funds for the MGNREGA scheme. She said the TMC delegation, which sought time to meet the Union minister, falsely accused me of skipping the meeting.

TMC MP, while raising to ask questions on the central-sponsored scheme, claimed the delegation was denied a meeting with Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti despite an appointment. To this, the Union minister said she was falsely accused and that she agreed to meet the delegation, however, few TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra, requested to meet independently, which she denied.

AAP MPs protest on the Parliament premises against the alleged misuse of Central agencies.

"Yes, she (Mahua Moitra) is being harassed because the allegations against her haven't been proven. The kind of questions that have been asked of a woman candidate are objectionable too...This matter has been unnecessarily escalated...As far as IP address and password is concerned, there are no such rules. Had there been rules and she would have broken them, then action could have been taken," JMM MP Mahua Maji said.

"They don't have any policy of their own. They always come together only for their self benefit. They are afraid for 2024 after the BJP's massive win," BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said when asked about the ethics panel report on the findings of the ‘cash-for-query’ case.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrives at the Parliament, on the second day of the winter session.

"They (Treasury Benches in Parliament) are responsible for disruption (during the proceedings). They don't allow us (opposition) to speak. Yesterday, I was not allowed to raise the Maratha quota reservation issue in Zero Hour and was informed that it is state subject. Today, I will raise the Dharavi issue, but I don't know whether I would be allowed to speak," says Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on PM Modi's 'Oppn should not vent its frustration of Assembly polls defeat inside Parliament' remark.

The Lok Sabha passed the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, on Monday. The Bill is in line with the government's drive to repeal all those pre-independence Acts which have become obsolete and lost their utility.

The Bill will amend the Advocates Act, 1961, by adding provisions of Section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act, 1879, in the former Act to reduce the number of superfluous enactments of statute book.

On Day 1 of the Winter Session, both Houses passed the Post Office Bill, 2023, through voice votes.

1. The Bill seeks to replace the 125-year-old colonial-era Indian Post Office Act, 1898, that currently governs postal services in India.
2. One clause of the bill, however, drew significant opposition from some MPs for threatening people’s privacy by allowing a government-appointed officer to intercept, open or detain any item for national security and allied reasons.
3. Clause 9 empowers the central government to notify any officer to “cause any item in course of transmission by the Post Office to be intercepted, opened or detained in the interest of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, emergency, or public safety or upon the occurrence of any contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or any other law for the time being in force”. Read more