Parliament Updates: 19 Rajya Sabha MPs Suspended For this Week; Upper House Adjourned Till Tomorrow

Parliament Monsoon Session Updates, July 26, 2022: Proceedings in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha resumed today, a day after sixth consecutive day of the Monsoon session was marred by Opposition protests over price rise, GST and other issues, leading to suspension of four Congress members and adjournment of the Houses. On Monday, many MPs trooped into the well of the House during the question hour, shouting slogans and displaying placards.

Speaker Om Birla warned the protesting members, including from the Congress, TMC and DMK, that those who continue to shout slogans and display placards will have to do it outside the House after 3 pm. He told them that the government was ready to discuss issues raised by them and stressed that people want the House to function.

Concerns about low rainfall, unemployment, losses incurred by farmers, tribal distress, MNREGA payments and government schools were among the matters raised by members in Lok Sabha during Zero Hour on Monday. However, the voices of these members were drowned in continued protests by opposition parties which were demanding urgent discussions on price and rise and other issues.

Since the start of the Monsoon session of Parliament on July 18, opposition parties, including the Congress, have been protesting against price rise, GST and various other concerns, leading to disruption of proceedings.

Here’s What is Happening Latest in Parliament:

• Rajya Sabha adjourned till tomorrow.

• BJP leader Piyush Goyal said that the decision to suspend Oppn MPs from Rajya Sabha was taken with a heavy heart as they repeatedly ignored Chairman’s appeals.

• TMC MPs Sushmita Dev, Santanu Sen and Dola Sen among other Rajya Sabha MPs suspended for remaining part of the week for “misconduct” by entering well of the House and sloganeering.

• The districts reporting Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence has come down from 70 in 2014 to 46 in 2021. Incidents of LWE violence have also significantly reduced from 1091 in 2014 to 509, MoS Home Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha.

• Hinting at the BJP-ruled Centre, Opposition’s Vice Presidential candidate Margaret Alva on Tuesday alleged that phones of politicians are being tapped in ‘New India’. “The fear that ‘Big Brother’ is always watching & listening permeates all conversations between politicians across party lines in ‘new’ India. MPs & leaders of parties carry multiple phones, frequently change numbers & talk in hushed whispers when they meet. Fear kills democracy,” Alva tweeted. Reacting to her statement outside Parliament, Union minister Pralhad Joshi dubbed it as ‘childish allegations’. “Why should anybody tap her phone? Let her call anybody, we’re confident about what the result of the VP election will be. Why should we do this? These are childish allegations. She’s a senior person and she should not make such allegations,” he said.

• AAP lawmaker Sanjay Singh on Tuesday gave a notice on inflation and GST in the Upper House under Rajya Sabha’s rule 267.

• Amid a stalemate in Parliament, the Congress on Tuesday asked why the government is not allowing an urgent debate on price rise and GST when the entire opposition was demanding it. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said a debate under Rule 267 has been held several times in the past on issues of demonetisation, Jammu and Kashmir, and agri crisis among others.

• Riti Pathak, BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh, on Monday said that the tribals in her constituency were denied benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and the Saubhagya Scheme or Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana.

• Jagadambika Pal of the BJP raised the issue of rain shortfall in Uttar Pradesh and said it has caused suffering to farmers in his constituency Domariyaganj. He demanded that a central team be dispatched and a survey conducted to estimate the loss incurred by farmers.

• TMC MP Aparupa Poddar demanded a one-time age relaxation for recruitment into the Indian Army, BJP MPs Uday Pratap Singh and Mitesh Patil asked Railways for stoppages and flyovers, respectively.

• BJP MP Kaushalendra Kumar demanded that the number of days of employment under the MNREGA scheme be increased. He said that in certain areas, instead of 100 days of work people were getting work for just 28 days.

• A trans person applicant may be issued fit medical assessment, provided there are no associated medical, psychiatric or psychological conditions, the government told Parliament on Monday. It said that medical tests administered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for issuing pilot licences recognises transpersons. The issue came up after the DGCA had on July 3 declined to grant Adam Harry, who identifies as a trans person, medical approval as long as he was on hormone therapy. He was later given medical clearance in August 2020 after he stopped his hormone therapy. The medical test is needed to be able to undertake training to become a commercial pilot.

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