Astonished, shocked: Congress slams CISF 'takeover' of Rajya Sabha during protest
It added, "We expect that in future CISF personnel will not come trooping in the well of the House when Members are raising important issues of public concern".Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the CISF's actions as a "takeover" by the security force following Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation, calling it a shocking development."After the sudden and unprecedented resignation of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, we are now seeing the takeover of the chamber of the Council of States by the personnel of the CISF. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha has just written to the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha on this shocking development," Ramesh tweeted, sharing a copy of the letter.However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju dismissed the Congress's allegations of muzzling Opposition protests, asserting that no one was stopped and that the Rajya Sabha has stringent security arrangements in place."There are stringent security arrangements in the Rajya Sabha as well. No parliamentarian has been stopped from speaking. We have been briefed by the CISF, and we've been informed that if anyone crosses the designated boundary in the Rajya Sabha, appropriate action will be taken," the minister said.The government handed over the 'comprehensive' security of Parliament to the CISF in December 2023, following a security breach in which two individuals jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow smoke from canisters, and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.- Ends
IN THIS STORY#Parliament
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"Maun vrat, maun vrat": Shashi Tharoor said outside the Parliament when asked about participating in the 16-hour special discussion. Tharoor has publicly praised Modi on Operation Sindoor, and participating in the debate would have meant 'attacking the government'. .'Kaun banega next VP?'.After the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, the question on who will be the frontrunners for becoming the next Vice President has become Election Commission has informed that polls to pick the VP will take place on September 9. With that, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will be exploring a consensus candidate. Dhankhar cited health concerns as the reason for his exit, but Congress senses there is "far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye", and that there are "deeper reasons" behind the the ruling BJP-led NDA enjoying a majority in the electorate, it is likely to consider probable names soon. 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Rahul had said a trade deal with the US will happen and Trump will define it, while "Modi will do what Trump tells him to do".Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav too noted that this is the beginning of "bure din" for India. In the midst of the tariff talks, the White House believes Trump should be awarded the Nobel Prize, as he "ended several conflicts around the world", saying it is well past rekindles 'Dalit CM' debateCongress President Mallikarjun Kharge recalled how he lost the CM's post in 1999 to S M Krishna, which seems to have rekindled the 'Dalit CM' debate within the party's state unit. Deputy CM D K Shivakumar backed Kharge and said that there is nothing wrong if a senior leader like him is expressing his emotions. Kharge's remark sparked a fresh debate on the long-standing demand for a Dalit CM in Karnataka, a hotly debated matter within the Congress party, an issue on which senior leaders and Ministers Parameshwara and H C Mahadevappa have openly spoken in the past. The BJP took no time in picking on Kharge's statement. Attacking the Congress for "tokenism" when it comes to "Dalit empowerment", Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said, "Every time a Dalit rises in Congress, the Gandhi family ensures he is pulled down."More from KarnatakaRahul Gandhi has the evidence regarding the modus operandi for "vote theft" during last years LS polls, claimed CM Siddaramaiah, adding that Rahul will be in Bengaluru on August 5 to participate in a protest and submit a representation to the EC officials in Karnataka. Deputy CM D K Shivakumar too cited two instance of voter additions during the 2023 Assembly polls. He claimed that Congress wants to "save democracy" and does not want the EC to be a part of the political process. .What happened elsewhere?In a development that took Maharashtra politics by surprise, the Thackeray cousins were seen together at the iconic Matoshree, the home of former Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray. This was a second meet up of Raj and Uddhav in a fortnight's time, intensifying the alliance buzz. Meanwhile in West Bengal, CM Mamata Banerjee led her party to launch a second "Bhasha Andolan" to protest the "linguistic terror" she accused the BJP of unleashing on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states. .These were all the political updates of the week. Stay tuned to DH for all the latest news and we will be back with Political Theater next Stage Left,DH Newsletters Team
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