Kharge sums up oppn mood: It is 'neither happy, nor sad'
NEW DELHI: As Rajya Sabha met Tuesday morning - the second day of Parliament's monsoon session - the effect of Jagdeep Dhankhar's departure weighed heavily in the Upper House. The VP is also the Rajya Sabha chairman.
Dhankhar, usually, would not miss chairing RS proceedings at the beginning of the day, but on Tuesday, all eyes were on deputy chairman Harivansh as he strode into the House as the clock struck 11. He greeted MPs with a zealous 'Vanakkam' and started the business of the day by calling the first speaker of zero hour.
However, proceedings were disrupted following vociferous protests from opposition MPs who trooped into the well when the chair denied admission of a dozen notices to discuss issues ranging from Dhankhar's "unexpected and unprecedented" resignation, special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Pahalgam terror attack to Operation Sindoor.
RS transacted no business during the day amid repeated adjournments.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Lok Sabha which saw almost no business amid opposition protests.
The corridors of Parliament were abuzz with speculation over Dhankhar's resignation. When TOI spoke to some MPs - governing and opposition - they said they were baffled by the development.
Congress president and LoP in RS Mallikarjun Kharge said, "He has resigned on his own, and therefore, we don't have to say anything on that because humko khushi bhi nahin hai, gham bhi nahin hai (we are neither happy nor sad)." His remarks summed up the relationship between Dhankhar and the opposition.
In RS, Harivansh said "further constitutional process concerning vacancy in the office of VP will be communicated as and when received".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Raj FM urged to oppose plan to hike GST on garments
Jaipur: After a group of ministers in the 55th meeting of the GST Council proposed to increase GST from 12% to 18% on readymade garments costing more than Rs 1,000, the state industry appealed to the state finance minister, Diya Kumari, to raise the issue and oppose the move. The Garment Exporters Association of Rajasthan (GEAR) said clothing is a necessity item and should not attract such steep taxes. GEAR president Rakshit Poddar said, "If GST goes up to 18%, it will have a bigger impact on the middle-class consumers, who usually buy garment pieces in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500." He said inflation made raw material costlier, raising the cost of commonly used items. Echoing similar sentiment, the general secretary of the garment body, Amit Maheshwari, said many women are engaged in making ethnic clothes whose costs are relatively higher. "If the taxes go up, the women engaged in the ethnic wear segment will face difficulties. It will impact 5 lakh artisans in the state," said Maheshwari. GEAR suggested that 5% GST can be levied on garments costing up to Rs 25,000 and 18% on garments that are priced more than Rs 25,000.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Parliament Watch: India finds 7.23 MT rare earth reserves; NH build pace slows, key infra updates shared in Parliament
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The rare earth element resources estimated by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is around 7.23 million tonnes in-situ Rare Earth Elements oxide (REO) contained in 13.15 million tonnes monazite, a mineral of Thorium and Rare Earths occurring in the coastal beach, red sand and inland alluvium in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra, minister Jitendra Singh informed the lower house. Around 1.29 million tonnes in-situ REO resource in hard rocks in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Additionally, Geological Survey of India (GSI) has augmented 482.6 Mt resources of REE ore at various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects. Coal India Ltd has received 186 consumer grievances, other than that of the Comptroller and Auditor General, related to coal quality issues since July 2023, minister G Kishan Reddy said. Out of them, 171 grievances have been resolved, he informed the Lok Sabha. Resolution of these grievances is a continuous process and is as per established procedure, he Dehradun-Delhi access controlled highway with a total capital cost of `11,868.6 crore is targeted for completion by October 2025, road transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday in response to a question in Rajya ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF) is working on India Skills Accelerator initiative to close skilling gaps through inclusive upskilling and reskilling, mobilizing investment in lifelong learning, and fostering government industry collaboration, Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge), MSDE said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha on government has constructed 10,660 km of length of national highways (NHs) during 2024-25 or 29 km per day, road transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari said in response to a question in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. This is the second lowest pace of construction in the last five years, lowest being 28 km per day in 2022-23.
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Staff crunch in central schools: Punjab worst among 3 neighbours
Chandigarh: Even as the Centre pushes forward with the expansion of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), alarming levels of vacancies in both teaching and non-teaching posts plague these institutions, with Punjab emerging as the worst-hit state in the region. As of June 2025, Punjab reported 401 vacancies in centrally administered schools — 155 teaching and 57 non-teaching in KVs, and 86 teaching and 103 non-teaching in JNVs, according to data provided by the Union ministry of education in a written reply to MP Ranjeet Ranjan in the Rajya Sabha. In comparison, Haryana reported 195 total vacancies—29 teaching and 28 non-teaching in KVs, and 71 teaching and 67 non-teaching in JNVs. Himachal Pradesh fared slightly better, with 132 vacanies — 34 teaching and 14 non-teaching in KVs, and 34 teaching and 50 non-teaching in JNVs. Punjab accounts for more than double the number of vacancies than Haryana, and over three times more than Himachal Pradesh. At the national level, the picture is no less troubling. Data reveals that KVs have 9,382 vacancies—7,765 in teaching and 1,617 in non-teaching posts. Navodaya Vidyalayas are dealing with 7,379 unfilled positions, including 4,323 in teaching and 3,056 in non-teaching roles. Together, these two school systems are short of a staggering 16,761 personnel. The ministry said vacancies continue to arise due to the opening of new schools, retirements, resignations, promotions, inter-departmental transfers, and upgrade of existing schools. It said recruitment was an ongoing process, and contractual teachers were engaged temporarily to ensure continuity in the teaching-learning process. As part of remedial steps, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan conducted a major recruitment drive in 2022–23, appointing 17,425 personnel, including 13,411 through direct recruitment and 4,014 through limited departmental competitive examinations. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti filled 2,200 teaching posts through a recruitment drive in 2021–22. Alongside recruitment efforts, the central govt has sanctioned over Rs 24,600 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan between 2018 and 2026 to address infrastructure gaps. This includes funds for the construction of classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, toilets, solar panels, and provision of drinking water. So far, more than 4.77 lakh school infrastructure units have been approved under the scheme nationwide.
