Parliament Monsoon Session 2023: Amid the logjam in Parliament between the treasury bench and the Opposition over the Manipur issue, the BJP Parliamentary Board met on Tuesday, before the commencement of Parliament proceedings, to discuss the government’s strategy for the remaining days of the ongoing monsoon session. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Parliament to attend the meeting.
Besides PM Modi, BJP President JP Nadda and all Union Ministers, party MPs from both the Houses — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha — were present in the meeting.
In the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave instructions to the party MPs regarding the strategy for communication with the public after the session.
Follow the Latest Updates From Parliament Monsoon Session 2023:
▶Lok Sabha has been adjourned till July 26.
▶Speaking in Lok Sabha, Shah said that the government is ready for a discussion on Manipur and the Centre is not afraid. “I have written letters to opposition leaders of both houses. An appropriate atmosphere is necessary in the house for a discussion. I request the opposition,” he said.
▶Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha that the Centre will bring new a new cooperative policy before Vijayadashmi or Diwali this year.
▶Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told opposition MPs protesting in the well of the house, “If you cross the limit, I will be forced to take action against you.”
▶Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till July 26.
▶Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that BJP Members of Parliament prevented Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge from speaking and raising INDIA’s demand for the PM’s statement in the House on Manipur and a discussion thereafter.
▶Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 5 pm.
▶Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said the Question Hour is the “heart” of Parliamentary work as it seeks accountability and transparency from the government and is helpful for people at large. Making these remarks during Question Hour as members of the opposition kept raising uproar, he urged the members to maintain decorum and allow the House to function.
Soon after the House met for Question Hour at noon, opposition members raised slogans of “Manipur, Manipur” as the chairman asked the members to begin the Question Hour. While ruling party members raised their questions, the opposition MPs did not ask questions amid the din
▶The impasse in Lok Sabha continued on Tuesday as government and opposition leaders stuck to their stand on the issue of Manipur violence at a meeting convened by Speaker Om Birla. While opposition floor leaders insisted on a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government said Home Minister Amit Shah would reply to the debate on the discussion on Manipur violence.
▶The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Tuesday till noon after uproarious scenes were witnessed in the House, with opposition and treasury benches seeking discussions on the violence and unrest in Manipur and atrocities against women in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, respectively. Opposition parties led by the Congress gave as many as 50 notices under rule 267 seeking suspension of business of the day to take up discussion on the Manipur violence, while the treasury benches gave three notices for short duration discussion on crime and atrocities against women in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh.
▶ Some opposition parties, part of the INDIA alliance, are likely to move a notice of no-confidence motion against the government in the Lok Sabha, sources said on Tuesday. A proposal to submit the notice was discussed at a meeting of the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Tuesday morning.
▶The sources said after weighing various options to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak in Parliament on the situation in strife-torn Manipur, it was decided that this would be an effective way to compel the government to initiate a discussion on the issue. The opposition strategy to corner the government on Manipur will continue in the Rajya Sabha as well, the sources said.
▶Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a “comprehensive” statement in both houses of Parliament on the violence in Manipur. He said the situation in the northeast was fragile and the repercussions of the Manipur violence seem to be spilling over to other states too, asserting that it was not good for the country’s sensitive border states. Kharge said 83 days of unabated violence in Manipur require that the prime minister make a comprehensive statement in Parliament.
▶Speaking at the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, PM Modi said, ‘Opposition is directionless. It seems they have made up their mind to stay in the Opposition for a long time…This is the last year of a second term government but it is a new beginning again as we build up to 2024.”
Slamming the Opposition alliance, PM Modi said, “East India Company, PFI, Indian Mujaheddin also using India in their name ..Chehre par chehre laga lete hai log (these people have false faces).”
▶Meanwhile, the INDIA alliance parties was also held in the Parliament office of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to chalk out the floor strategy for the Monsoon session of Parliament. INDIA is the name opposition parties have chosen for their alliance.
▶Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Tuesday amid protests by opposition parties on the violence in Manipur. As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members sought to raise the issue and also started shouting slogans.
▶To break the deadlock in Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker has called for a meeting of all floor leaders at 12:30 pm.
▶The MPs of the Opposition parties staged an overnight protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue to highlight their demands. The opposition members were holding placards that read “INDIA wants discussion on Manipur violence”, “INDIA for Manipur” etc.
▶As the deadlock in Parliament persisted for the third day on Monday, Home Minister Amit Shah asked the opposition to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin but both sides stood rigid on their stand while AAP MP Sanjay Sanjay Singh was suspended during an uproar in the Upper House for the rest of the monsoon session.
▶Relentless protests from opposition members, who insisted on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi before any debate, marred the proceedings in both Houses while charges and countercharges flew thick and fast outside Parliament.
▶The Congress alleged that the prime minister was “scared” of a discussion in Parliament, but the BJP claimed the opposition was running away as it does not want certain facts to come to the fore.
▶The RS Chairman later met the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed the way forward to break the deadlock on both sides.
▶Protests ruled the day inside both Houses despite attempts by Dhankhar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to end the impasse. Defence Minister Singh, who is also the deputy leader of Lok Sabha, reiterated his statement made on Friday that the government is ready for a discussion.
▶Since the session began on July 20, little work has been done in Parliament. Opposition members have seized on the viral video of two women stripped and paraded by a mob from another community in the violence-hit state to corner the government.
▶While the government has expressed its willingness to debate on the situation in the BJP-ruled state, the opposition has made a statement from Modi a precondition for any discussion on the issue.
▶As slogan-shouting by opposition members in Lok Sabha, many of whom were in the well of House, continued, Shah spoke briefly, questioning their intent despite his willingness to debate.
▶The government has said that the Home Minister will reply to any such debate on the Manipur issue. “I am willing for discussion in Lok Sabha on the situation in Manipur but do not know why the opposition does not want it,” Shah said.
He said opposition leaders should allow a debate, saying it was important for the truth to come out before the country on the Manipur issue.
▶The MPs of the BJP also staged protests near the Mahatma Gandhi statue to highlight their demands.
▶Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP sources said, has spoken to opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress and DMK leader T R Baalu, in an attempt to break the impasse but in vain.
▶Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar also held a meeting with opposition leaders from the Upper House, including Jairam Ramesh, BRS’ K Keshava Rao, BJD’s Sasmit Patra and AAP’s Raghav Chadha, in this regard as well. Sources said the meeting ended within minutes, as the opposition walked out and said they were “boycotting it”.
When does the Monsoon Parliament Session 2023 begin and end?
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 20 and continue till August 11. The session has been spread across 23 days and will have 17 sittings.
Which bills are scheduled to be discussed and passed during the Parliament Monsoon Session?
Earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said that 31 bills will be taken up in the monsoon session. Among these include the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.
Other important legislations that are expected to be taken up in the Session are the Bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated in May this year.
Other Bills on the agenda of the government include Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019; Mediation Bill, 2021; Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 ; Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022 amongst others.
Order of business in Parliament Monsoon Session 2023 till now
In Lok Sabha, the government succeeded in transacting some legislative business amid uproar, with three Bills introduced and one withdrawn.
While the government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, it introduced the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Earlier in the day, as soon as the Lower House met at 11 am, opposition members from the Congress, DMK, Left parties and others were on their feet. Speaker Om Birla allowed Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to speak and he raised the demand for the prime minister’s statement The speaker said, “The government will reply.. but you will not decide who will reply to the debate”.
Why was AAP MP Sanjay Singh Suspended?
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, one of the more vocal voices in Rajya Sabha, was suspended for repeatedly “violating” the directives of the Chair after he rushed to the well of the House and pointed at the Chair during protest by opposition members on the Manipur issue.
Moving a motion for Singh’s suspension that was adopted by voice vote, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said such behaviour was not acceptable as the member was disturbing the House and was disregarding its ethics and rules.
Prior to that, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar named Singh for his “unruly behaviour” and cautioned him. Opposition parties condemned the action against Singh and accused the government of trying to throttle their voice.
Sanjay Singh, however, remained inside the Rajya Sabha chamber as a mark of protest, and moved out after the house was adjourned for the day. He then sat on a protest before the Gandhi statue along with other opposition MPs. Leaders of various parties urged the chairman to reconsider his decision and revoke the suspension.
What is Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha?
The Opposition is demanding a discussion on Manipur in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267, under which the House can suspend all of its pending business in order to focus on a matter that requires immediate attention.
Rule 267 states that “any member, may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day and if the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being: Provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules,” according to Rajya Sabha website.
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