Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: The proceedings of Parliament began on a stormy note on Friday with Opposition MPs demanding a discussion on wrestler Vinesh Phogat's disqualification from the Paris Olympics. Parliament also commemorated the 82nd anniversary of the Quit India Movement, with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha paying homage to the martyrs. Both Houses stood in silence for a brief moment as a mark of respect for those who sacrificed their lives.
In Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla and in Rajya Sabha, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, also extended greetings to the Indian Men’s Hockey Team and Neeraj Chopra for their achievements in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Opposition Walk Out From Rajya Sabha
Later, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi led a walk-out of Opposition parties from Rajya Sabha in a significant show of support for Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, as she protested a recurrence of the 'Jaya Amitabh Bachchan' row in the Upper House. The Opposition was, reportedly, protesting against the repeated introduction of Samajwadi party MP as "Jaya Amitabh Bachchan" in the Upper House.
Twice in this Parliamentary session Bachchan, who is married to actor Amitabh Bachchan, has been introduced in Parliament as 'Jaya Amitabh Bachchan'. She has repeated her strong disapproval of this practice, to which Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar responded "Don't school me."
However, Bachchan stood firm and demanded an apology, which vexed the Chair.
The issue exploded over the Opposition's demand for an apology from BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari for his comment against Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Opposition MPs were enraged by the lack of a public apology and alleged that Vice President Dhankhar was defending Tiwari.
The enraged Opposition is reportedly planning to bring a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman.
Bill To Be Introduced In Lok Sabha
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has listed six new Bills to be introduced in the Lok Sabha today. This includes the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024-- to amend the RBI Act, the Banking Regulation Act and the SBI Act among others--which will be tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to be proposed by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Other bills to be tabled in the lower house include the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024, and the Bills of Lading Bill, 2024, which will be introduced by Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The government will also seek the passage of a bill to enable representation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Assembly. This bill will be moved by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
On Thursday, the government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha amidst objections by Opposition parties over certain provisions. After Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju tabled the Bill, Opposition parties called it “unconstitutional”, “anti-minority”, and “divisive”. The government then referred the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to a Joint Committee of Parliament.