Parliament Special Session Highlights — Congress Didn't Want To Provide Women With Reservations: Anurag Thakur
Parliament Special Session 2023 Highlights: The MPs bid adieu to the old building as they are set to meet in the new building today. Please follow this space for all the news on parliament's session.
Background
Parliament Special Session Highlights: Please follow this space for all the news and latest updates relating to parliament's five-day special session.
The five-day 'Amrit Kaal' session of parliament begins today at the old building, a day after an all-party meeting was held in the national capital. The session will run from Sept 18-22, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had said. The Centre had announced the convening of the session last month, however, it did not release any agenda at first. A war of words had erupted between the ruling dispensation and Congress over the business of the House. The government later released the agenda mentioning four bills, two will be taken up in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage.
The session will witness a discussion on Parliament's 75-year journey and House proceedings moving to the new building. On Tuesday, on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, an assembly of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will take place in the Central Hall to "commemorate the rich legacy of the Parliament of India and resolve to make Bharat a developed Nation by 2047". There will be a photo session after this in the inner courtyard of the old building.
Meanwhile, an all-party meeting in Delhi on Sunday pushed the Centre to introduce the Women Reservation Bill in parliament, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, as reported by PTI. On the parties' demand for the Women Reservation Bill, Union minister Pralhad Joshi said the decision will be taken at "appropriate time".
The government also announced a new dress code for the Parliament staff. PTI reported that various departments are all set to don these new uniforms. The new dress code with floral motif already created a stir with Congress questioning why the lotus flower was there in the design. Notably, Lotus is the poll symbol of the BJP.
Before the session, Congress lashed out at the Centre and said that the BJP-led government released the 'tentative' agenda for the five-day special Parliament session under pressure of the letter written by Sonia Gandhi. The party also said that it will oppose the Bill on the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner. Last week, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi wrote to PM Narendra Modi, saying that the agenda of the special Parliament session ought to be disclosed to all parties.
In her letter, Gandhi stated that there was no information on the agenda of the session and listed nine issues for discussion: demand for JPC, caste census, rise in communal tensions in different states, inflation, growing unemployment, rise in inequalities and distress of MSMEs. She also raised the point of commitment made by the Centre with regard to Minimum Support Price. Other issues included Manipur violence, border tussle with China, natural disasters across country and 'damaging' Centre-State relations.
Parliament Special Session Live: Congress didn't want to provide women with reservations, Union Minister Anurag Thakur says
Union Minister Anurag Thakur says, "He (Kapil Sibal) was a minister then. He knew that Congress was pretending. It (Women's Reservation Bill) was brought up in 2008 when elections were due in 2009. Then, it was sent to the standing committee...They did not want to provide women with reservations in 2010 and neither do they want to give it in 2023..." (ANI)
Parliament Special Session Live: Not yet clear if Women's Reservation Bill will be implemented in 2029 or 2034, RJD MP Manoj Jha
"Unless you include women of backward classes, OBCs in quota within quota system, whatever you say is pointless. It is not yet clear if Women's Reservation Bill will be implemented in 2029 or 2034. This is a post-dated commitment by a government that has lost its trust (among people)," says RJD leader Manoj Jha on Women's Reservation Bill. (PTI)
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