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SIR, Op Sindoor in focus as Monsoon session of Parliament begins on Monday

SIR, Op Sindoor in focus as Monsoon session of Parliament begins on Monday

There are indications that the Monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on Monday, is likely to be productive with the Opposition, the INDIA bloc, keen to pin down the government during debate and discussions on such issues as foreign policy and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
The government told the Opposition parties it would reply to demands for a response on American President Donald Trump's statements on Operation Sindoor, including that he had brought about the truce between India and Pakistan or that at least five jets were shot down during the hostilities.
The smaller constituents of the INDIA bloc, especially the Left parties, had disagreed with the Congress strategy in the past to disrupt proceedings and stage a walkout rather than try and pin the government down on issues. Sources in the Opposition camp said the Congress had heeded the concerns of the Left parties.
The Monsoon session will be held between July 21 and August 21, with 21 scheduled sittings. There will be no sittings held between August 12 and August 18. The government has listed seven pending Bills for consideration and passing, including the Income Tax Bill, which the Lok Sabha Select Committee will present on Monday.
The government has also listed eight bills for introduction, consideration and passing.
On Sunday, after the customary meeting of all parties on the eve of a session, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told the media over 100 MPs had signed a notice to bring a motion in Parliament for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma (now with the Allahabad High Court), crossing the threshold of support required for tabling the impeachment exercise in the Lok Sabha.
At the meeting, parties flagged issues such as the SIR in Bihar and the Pahalgam terror attack, and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Trump's 'ceasefire' claims. Rijiju said the government was open to discussing all issues in Parliament, such as Operation Sindoor.
In the context of crimes against women in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal's Sasmit Patra said the Centre could not escape responsibility from the 'failing' law and order in states and Parliament should debate it.
Pending Bills listed for passing
The Income Tax Bill, which will replace the Income Tax Act, 1961, the Indian Ports Bill, Merchant Shipping Bill, Coastal Shipping Bill, Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, and Bills of Lading Bill, 2024.
Bills listed for this session
Finance/Commerce
The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill: To amend the Manipur Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017
The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill: To amend certain tax laws
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill: Seeks to foster ease of doing business
Education
The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill: To add IIM Guwahati to the schedule of the IIM Act, 2017
Culture
The Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill: To provide for the declaration, preservation, and maintenance of geoheritage sites and geo-relics of national importance
Mines
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill: To provide for the recovery of critical minerals, inclusion of contiguous area in a mining lease for mining of deep-seated minerals
Sports
The National Sports Governance Bill: To provide for the promotion of sports, sportspersons' welfare, and ethical practices in sports; to establish standards for the governance of sports federations
The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill: To align the definitions and provisions of the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code and international best practices
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Election Commission like cheating cricket umpire that cost Congress 2017, 2022 Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to party leaders
Election Commission like cheating cricket umpire that cost Congress 2017, 2022 Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to party leaders

Indian Express

time26 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

Election Commission like cheating cricket umpire that cost Congress 2017, 2022 Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to party leaders

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday likened the Election Commission (EC) to a 'cheating cricket umpire' that cost his party the 2017 and 2022 Assembly polls in the state, senior leaders of the party said. The remarks were made by Gandhi in Anand district, at the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee's (GPCC) inaugural session of a three-day training summit for newly-appointed district and city unit presidents of the party. Calling Gujarat the Gangotri (origin) of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Gandhi told the leaders present that the Congress has to work hard in the state and bring out the 'truth' about the ruling party's 'bad governance'. According to senior Congress leaders, Gandhi said that for years, the Congress in Gujarat had been 'like a cricketer, who wondered why he was adjudged out during his batting'. According to the leaders, Gandhi said that 'getting out constantly makes (a cricketer) feel they were not good enough,' but the losses suffered by the Congress in Gujarat in 2017 and 2022 were 'the doing of a cheating umpire (EC), which manipulated voter lists.' Gandhi said that the Congress workers were 'babbar shers (lions)' who needed to 'get back their roar', senior leaders said. Gandhi urged the party workers to regroup and 'go in the midst' of people to 'clean the Ganges of politics from Gangotri — Gujarat'. In his hour-long address at the closed-door session held in Nijanand resort, Gandhi likened the BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) combine to a temple, where devotees can pay obeisance but don't have a say in 'what or how much prasad' they will have. Most Congress leaders that The Indian Express spoke to stated that Gandhi's mention of the EC in the context of 'unfair results' in 2017 and 2022 struck a chord with party leaders. Congress's Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Gujarat Assembly, Tushar Chaudhary told this newspaper that Gandhi emphasised that the party leaders must begin verification of voter rolls in advance. Chaudhary said, 'Rahulji mentioned the fact that in 2017 and 2022, manipulated voter lists had a lot to do with the results… He enquired with us as to when we actually receive the electoral rolls. When he learnt that we receive it either on the last day or five days in advance, he said you can't do anything or verify the list in such a short time…' Quoting Gandhi, Chaudhary said, 'The issue of fake voters being added to electoral rolls is changing the results… incidents of 1.5 lakh fake voters found in Karnataka or Maharashtra were mentioned. So, it is a fact that when the updated electoral rolls are received, they have new voters who are of much older age whereas it should be young, first-time voters added to the list.' In his address, Gandhi said the BJP's working model is like a temple. 'You have the right to come to a temple, pay obeisance and bow your head; but how much prasad will be given to you is in the control of the BJP-RSS. They will see which caste one belongs to and decide how much prasad should be given… Adani or Ambani will be given different quantities of prasad (than the rest)… There is no right over the prasad. Whatever is mercifully given to you, you have to accept it. The BJP is being unjust to the people of Gujarat who are being told to visit the temple but no prasad is being given out…' Gandhi is said to have told the leaders. 'The district presidents have been told to create awareness among people about the misadministration under the current BJP-led state government as well as the cheating that the Congress has suffered (at the hands of the EC),' a district president from Central Gujarat said. Gandhi told Gujarat Congress leaders that the BJP's roots in the state should be the party's goal in the upcoming Assembly polls. 'Rahulji said that it has always been a presumption that if the BJP has to be defeated, one has to work hard in UP, Rajasthan and Karnataka. But the fact is that the BJP's gangotri (origin) is in Gujarat and one has to work hard in the state and bring out the truth about their bad governance. The cleaning of the Ganga of politics can be done from Gujarat…,' GPCC Spokesperson Manish Doshi said. GPCC President Amit Chavda said Gandhi has urged the leaders to 'go in the midst' of the people and 'raise voice' in the support of those fighting injustice. 'The three-day camp (in Anand) is part of Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan and Rahulji has urged that the party must be strengthened from root to top in Gujarat and that it should be oriented towards service to people. New leaders should be given the opportunity to work… The party wants to go in the midst of the people to fight the battle against injustice as in the last 30 years of the BJP's rule in the state, there has been a government of fear, coercion and corruption with officer-raj and commission-raj going on in Gujarat,' Chavda said. 'The presence of Rahulji on the first day of the three-day training camp shows how important Gujarat is for him. He has made it clear that in any district, any complaint of the people or any injustice must be taken up by the Congress. Wherever it is necessary, the state leaders, or Rahulji himself, will be by the side of the people… He told the leaders to go to the people. Take up issues related to misadministration and injustice and raise voice against it. On the last day of the Shibir (camp), the party will also put forth the entire roadmap for the state before the high command as well as the people,' Chavda added. Gandhi, Congress leaders said, also met the members of the milk cooperative unions and urged them to 'inform him whatever is needed to be done and if they need him to raise pressing issues related to cooperatives in the Lok Sabha.' Gandhi is the LoP in the Lok Sabha. The families of some of the 21 victims of the Mujpur-Gambhira bridge collapse also arrived at the venue in Anand, where the Congress leader was meeting the milk cooperatives, to make representations to him. According to Congress leaders, the kin of the victims were 'stopped by the police' from meeting Gandhi but later, they were allowed to proceed and make petitions regarding the incident. Doshi said, 'The police said that the victims could not be allowed to meet Gandhi as they did not have a security pass… At first, they were turned away but eventually, we managed to get them to meet Rahul ji, who expressed his solidarity with the families and assured them of assistance in their fight for justice in the incident.'

On Vijay Diwas, Army chief invokes Operation Sindoor – ‘Organised, accurate and decisive to Pahalgam attack'
On Vijay Diwas, Army chief invokes Operation Sindoor – ‘Organised, accurate and decisive to Pahalgam attack'

Indian Express

time26 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

On Vijay Diwas, Army chief invokes Operation Sindoor – ‘Organised, accurate and decisive to Pahalgam attack'

It was because of the trust of the people and 'the strategic independence' extended by the government that the Indian Army gave Pakistan an 'organised, accurate and decisive' answer after the Pahalgam attack, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi said Saturday. The army chief was speaking at Drass on the 26th anniversary of Vijay Diwas to mark India's victory against Pakistan in the Kargil war of 1999. In his speech, General Dwivedi also spoke about Operation Sindoor. 'India proved (in 1999) that no ill intentions will find success within India's borders. No harm will be allowed against India's unity and integrity. In continuation of that tradition, the Indian Army displayed the same courage and determination during Operation Sindoor in targeting terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan and achieved a decisive victory by effectively thwarting Pakistan's aggressive tactics,' he said. India gave peace a chance but the neighbouring country displayed 'cowardice' and Operation Sindoor 'was our resolve, message and response' to that, he said. He went on to say that the Pahalgam attack, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed by terrorists, left a 'deep wound' on the nation but that this time, India did not just mourn their loss but resolved that the response would be decisive. On the night of May 6 and 7, India attacked nine high value targets in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, 'without harming any innocent citizens', he said. 'Operation Sindoor was not just a response but a clear message that those supporting terror will not survive,' he said. Defining India's 'new normal', he said that 'any forces planning to attack India's integrity and sovereignty will be given a befitting reply in the future as well.' With a view to making the Indian Army a 'future oriented' force, he also announced the constitution of a new 'Rudra Bridgade' of the Indian Army that will include infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces and unmanned aerial systems together to provide logistic and combat support to the forces. He also said that a special forces unit called Bhairav has also been constituted. 'We are fully prepared to realise India's Visit Bharat dream by the 100th anniversary of the country's independence,' he said.

After destroying Pakistan with BrahMos missile, India gets ready to build BrahMos-2K with..., China, Pakistan shivering with fear due to...
After destroying Pakistan with BrahMos missile, India gets ready to build BrahMos-2K with..., China, Pakistan shivering with fear due to...

India.com

time26 minutes ago

  • India.com

After destroying Pakistan with BrahMos missile, India gets ready to build BrahMos-2K with..., China, Pakistan shivering with fear due to...

New Delhi: Operation Sindoor has proved that the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile could not be stopped by the air defense systems of China and Pakistan. Now imagine how much devastation it would have cause if it were a hypersonic missile. What is BrahMos-2K hypersonic cruise missile? According to media reports, a big agreement can be reached between India and Russia to restart the BrahMos-2K hypersonic cruise missile programme when Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India. Let us tell you that BrahMos-2K is considered to be the next generation of the existing BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and it will have hypersonic speed. It will be based on the technology of Russia's Zircon (3M22 Zircon) missile. According to the report, a scramjet engine will be used in BrahMos-2K and it can carry a nuclear warhead. Its speed could be around 8 Mach (9878 KMPH) and its range is said to be 1500 kilometers. This project is a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russian NPO Mashinostroyeniya and now that BrahMos has been tremendously successful against Pakistan, efforts have been initiated to restart this programme. How powerful will the BrahMos-2K missile be? The BrahMos-2K missile will be one of the most dangerous missiles in the world and perhaps no air defense system has been made yet that can intercept it. China is constantly trying to make air defense to counter the BrahMos missile, but so far it has been unsuccessful. According to defense experts, it will be equipped with the most advanced scramjet technology, which means that its speed will be hypersonic till it hits the target. Its speed will not decrease due to atmospheric pressure. The current BrahMos missile has a speed of 3.5 Mach (4321 KMPH) and a range of 800 kilometers. India has deployed it in the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. Apart from this, BrahMos has also been deployed in the Indian Army. BrahMos-2K, which is also being called BrahMos Mark-II or BrahMos-II, will have very low radar signature and advanced manoeuvring capability, making it almost impossible to intercept. How many countries are working on hypersonic missiles? India is starting the BrahMos-2K programme at a time when many countries are working towards making hypersonic missiles, but only China and Russia have been successful. America's hypersonic missile programme has failed at least three times, but India has come very close to making a hypersonic missile.

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