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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt accepts Oppn demand of debate on Operation Sindoor during Parliament Monsoon Session, say sources
With the Monsoon Session of the Parliament starting from tomorrow, the Centre has accepted the Opposition's demand to hold a debate on Operation Sindoor, sources told The Indian Express Sunday. The sources, however, added that the government is yet to take a call regarding a debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The Monsoon session, starting on July 21, will conclude on August 21. On Saturday, the Opposition INDIA bloc held a virtual meeting of 24 of its constituents, reaching a consensus on eight major issues that they plan to raise during the Monsoon session, including the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, ceasefire announcement by US President Donald Trump, India's foreign policy, and the Election Commission's ongoing electoral rolls revision in Bihar. The virtual meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh of the Congress; Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav; TMC's Abhishek Banerjee; Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut; NCP(SP)'s Sharad Pawar and Jayant Patil; National Conference's Omar Abdullah; JMM's Hemant Soren; RJD's Tejashwi Yadav; and DMK's Tiruchi N Siva. The CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) Liberation were represented by D Raja, M A Baby, and Dipankar Bhattacharya respectively. Kerala Congress (M) MP Jose K Mani, RSP's N K Premachandran, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi's Thirumavalavan and IUML's K M Kader Mohideen also attended the meeting. This is going to be the first session since the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 25 tourists and a local ponywallah were killed. Subsequently, Operation Sindoor was conducted by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan against terror emanating from that country.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
INDIA Bloc Parties Hold Online Meeting Ahead Of Parliament's Monsoon Session
New Delhi: INDIA bloc parties on Saturday held deliberations at an online meeting to reach a consensus on issues that they would raise to corner the government during Parliament's Monsoon session beginning July 21 and convey a message of unity. Twenty-four political parties, including the Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD, SP, NCP-SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, CPI-M, CPI, CPI-ML, Forward Bloc, IUML and Kerala Congress, participated in the discussions. The meeting came ahead of the Monsoon session, which begins on Monday. The opposition grouping met after a long gap as they jointly deliberated on the country's political situation. "Leaders of 24 political parties belonging to the INDIA group have just begun their online pre-Parliament meeting," AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X after the meeting began. The meeting was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, NCP (SP)'s Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray (SS-UBT), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) M A Baby of CPI-M, D Raja (CPI), CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, among others. The leaders deliberated on a host of key issues, including the Election Commission's special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar, the demand for a discussion on the Pahalgam attack, and Operation Sindoor. The opposition parties are raising strong objections to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and are demanding that it be scrapped now, as assembly elections are slated in the next few weeks there. They have also been demanding answers on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor and the losses that the country has suffered during it. US President Donald Trump's claims of bringing about a halt in hostilities between India and Pakistan, and the push to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma, who is embroiled in a row following the discovery of burnt wads of currency at his residence after a fire incident, are also likely to feature in the discussions. During the Parliament session, the top Congress leadership has resolved to raise issues such as the demand for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and rising atrocities against women in the country. The opposition party has also decided to raise farmers' problems, the issues of rising unemployment, safety and security of the country and the Ahmedabad air crash during the session. Sonia Gandhi had convened a meeting of the party's parliamentary strategy group at her 10, Janpath residence here on Tuesday evening.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
J&K Statehood To Be Key Issue In Monsoon Session: Congress' Tariq Hameed Karra To NDTV
Senior Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra has said the party will make the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir a major issue in the upcoming Parliament session. Speaking to NDTV, Mr Karra, who heads the Congress's Jammu and Kashmir unit, said that former party president Sonia Gandhi has asked all party MPs to raise the issue in the Monsoon session, which is set to begin on Monday. "Sonia Gandhi has asked all parliament members of the party to vociferously raise the issue of the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming parliament session. It was after the meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi, and after Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) on the restoration of statehood," he said. Speaking after the party workers were stopped by police from taking a march in Srinagar, Mr Karra said the entire INDIA bloc is behind the Congress on the issue. "The letter written by Kharge Ji and Rahul Gandhi is the voice of the entire INDIA bloc. The letter has the backing of all 233 parliament members of the INDIA bloc," Mr Karra said. Scores of Congress workers were on Saturday stopped from taking a march in Srinagar demanding the restoration of the statehood. They wanted to submit a memorandum to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, but they were not allowed to come out of the party office premises in Srinagar. The police barricaded the Congress office and didn't allow the march. Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its statehood and special status on August 5, 2019. Since then, the Centre and the Prime Minister have reiterated the government's commitment to restore it at an appropriate time. As part of its campaign, Congress has also announced the 'Delhi Chalo' program on July 22, where the party is planning to "symbolically gherao" Parliament over the issue. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge jointly wrote to Prime Minister Modi urging him to bring legislation in the upcoming session for the restoration of statehood. In the letter, the Congress leaders said that downgrading a state into a union territory is without precedent in independent India. The joint letter by the Leaders of the Opposition in both houses of the Parliament reminded the Prime Minister of his promises on the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood. It also referred to the Central government's assurance to the Supreme Court that restoration of statehood will be done at the earliest and as soon as possible. "Your good self has, on multiple occasions, personally reiterated the government's commitment to restoring statehood. In your interview in Bhubaneswar on 19 May 2024, you stated: 'The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it.' Again, while addressing a rally in Srinagar on 19 September 2024, you reaffirmed: 'We have said in Parliament that we will restore the region's statehood'," the letter read. In the letter, they said that for the past five years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have consistently called for the restoration of full statehood. They say the demand is both legitimate and firmly grounded in their constitutional and democratic rights. "It is important to recognise that while there have been instances of Union Territories being granted statehood in the past, the case of Jammu and Kashmir is without precedent in independent India. This is the first time a full-fledged state has been downgraded to a Union Territory following its bifurcation." Citing the Union Government's assurance to the Supreme Court, it said, "The Union Government has made similar assurances before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the In Re: Article 370 matter, submitting that statehood would be restored "at the earliest and as soon as possible." "We urge upon the Government to bring forward legislation in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to grant full statehood to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," the letter stated.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
MPs' Low Attendance In House: Inside Details Of How Speaker Won't Let Them Lose ‘Touch'
Last Updated: According to sources, MPs will have to register their presence in the proceedings of the House by pressing on the tab on their tables MPs must not just be heard, but also be seen. The speaker, party leaders and even the Prime Minister have time and again raised the issue of absentee MPs. Sources say, for example, PM Narendra Modi got upset when 20 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs were absent during the discussion on 'one nation, one poll'. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has raised the issue on multiple party platforms when party leaders have been absent during key discussions such as the one on Manipur. At times, the absence is strategic, like say of an MP who wants to, for political reason, abstain from a vote or discussion if it hurts his or her constituency. As per rules, MPs can be absent for long, if he or she has applied for leave from Speaker's office. This apart, if a MP is absent for say 30 days minus leave application, a motion can be moved to remove him/her. The speaker, on multiple occasions, has bemoaned the fact that MPs don't take parliament seriously. What's worse, many MPs rush in to collect the daily allowance, sign the registers kept outside and leave ASAP. The daily allowance the MPs get to attend is Rs 2,500. Speaker's plan: Touch tab on tables So the speaker has come up with a plan. According to sources, now MPs will have to and can register their attendance in the proceedings of the House by pressing on the tab which is kept on the tables. This will ensure that the MPs don't rush after signing the register kept outside. They will have to come inside the Lok Sabha, sit on the seat and register their presence. The speaker feels that this could go long way in ensuring that the MPs don't use the session only to collect the daily allowance. In fact, there have been MPs like Jay Panda who have pushed for and also refused to collect the daily allowance in the past, whenever the house has been disrupted repeatedly. Their argument was that the house doesn't run so the MP is also not entitled to this allowance. Among the missing MP in terms of numbers, the record of the Congress has been particularly bad, while the BJP has been usually good. We will have to wait and wait to see whether the tab touch can ensure that MPs will be more regular and participate in the proceedings, which they are expected to do as elected members. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress collects MPs' signatures for impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma
(You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel New Delhi: Following the government's request last month and subsequent direction from the Congress leadership, the party's floor managers in Parliament have collected signatures of many party MPs of both the Houses for submitting notice for bringing an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma of the high court in the monsoon session of Parliament. The Congress meeting of committee for parliamentary strategy presided over by Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday was informed about this by the party managers involved in the exercise, some participants development signals an emerging government-Opposition cooperation on the issue. ET had reported on July 8 that an internal communication to the party's floor managers from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal had asked them to shortlist and approach the party MPs to sign the notices for impeachment motion. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju had approached the Congress president, conveying the government's request for bipartisan support for impeaching Justice Varma by saying the currency seizure case against him amounted to "corruption", an issue about which the Congress leadership appeared to be in no mood to quarrel with. Congress managers also reached out to some INDIA bloc allies, requesting for their signatures as well, according to people in the know. This, even as the party will reiterate its demand that Rajya Sabha chairman take forward pending notice for impeachment motion against Justice Shekhar Yadav over hate the meeting, the Congress also decided to demand on the first day of monsoon session discussions in both Houses on the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. Party members said that since some INDIA bloc allies had proposed convening a meeting of top organisational leaders of the grouping to firm up a coordinated approach in Parliament, the Congress leadership would explore convening such a meeting before the start of the monsoon session by discussing the proposal with the allies. A notable absentee at the meeting was Shashi Tharoor, who is currently in Opposition will also seek discussions in the first week of the session on the ECI's contentious special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and also on foreign policy issues including the West Asia conflict, China-Pakistan cooperation against India during Operation Sindoor, talks on Indo-US trade deal and Pakistan-US engagements.
