The winter session of Parliament has led to continued chaos and repeated adjournments.
New Delhi:
Live updates from the winter session of Parliament: The Lok Sabha will begin a two-day debate on the occasion of 75 years of the Constitution, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to reply to the debate on Saturday.
The BJP and Congress have issued a three-line whip for all its members to be present in the House of Representatives on December 13 and 14. During the session, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will deliver her debut speech in the House of Commons.
The winter session of Parliament, which began on November 25, has led to continued chaos and repeated adjournments amid uproar over several issues, including Congress's ties with billionaire George Soros, and unrest in Sambhal and Manipur.
Here are the live updates from December 13:
'Jai Bharat, Jai Samvidhan' (hail India, hail Constitution), Congressman Rae Bareli had said after taking oath in the House of Representatives earlier this year.
With a pocket copy of the Constitution in hand, many MPs from Congress and other opposition parties followed suit.
INDIA bloc leaders also held up copies of the Constitution as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as Leader of the House on the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session.
Speaker Om Birla reprimanded Thiruvananthapuram Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for his oath of “Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan”, sparking a row.
With the Lok Sabha set to hold a debate on the Constitution in a messy session, will the House of Representatives finally have a productive day?
The Lok Sabha will hold a two-day debate today from 12 noon on the occasion of 75 years of the Constitution. This assumes that a House torn by a war between the BJP and Congress – over the alleged links between Sonia Gandhi and George Soros and the US indictment of Adani – functions normally.
The 2001 attack on Parliament was carried out by five armed terrorists, but personnel of Parliament Security Forces, CRPF and Delhi Police foiled the attack as no terrorist could enter the building.
Six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Force personnel, a gardener and a TV video journalist were killed in the attack.
All five terrorists were shot on the forecourt of the then parliament building.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, several Union ministers and MPs paid floral tributes to those who laid down their lives in the terror attack on Parliament 23 years ago in 2001.
CISF personnel offered a salute or 'salami' at the site, following which a moment of silence was observed to mark the anniversary.
A tribute to the victims of the 2001 attack on Parliament. Their sacrifice will forever inspire our nation. We remain eternally grateful to them for their courage and dedication. pic.twitter.com/h1fxvpGQy4
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 13, 2024
Ahead of the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that many autonomous bodies are being misused, adding that governance in the country is not good.
“We have set the condition that there must be a discussion about the Constitution. Many unconstitutional things are happening, many autonomous bodies are being misused, the governance in the country is not good, so we want a debate so that everyone can know how the governance continues,” Kharge told ANI.
When asked about 'One Nation, One Election', the Congress leader said they will see what is in the bill and then respond to it.
Eighty-six Indian nationals were attacked or killed in various countries in 2023, the government told parliament.
External Affairs Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the details in a written response to a question. In 2023, of the 86 Indian nationals attacked or killed, the US figure was 12, while for Canada, Britain and Saudi Arabia it was 10 each, according to the data shared.
The Rajya Sabha will hold a debate on the Constitution on December 16 and 17, and Prime Minister Modi is expected to reply in the Upper House on Tuesday.
The debate on the Constitution was the main demand of the opposition for the winter session of parliament.
Before the two-day debate, Prime Minister Modi held a strategy meeting, which was attended by Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP President JP Nadda, among others.
The Opposition Congress also held a strategy meeting at the party headquarters, which was attended by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, besides other senior leaders including KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, to plan the strategy in Parliament for the coming week.
The Lok Sabha will begin a two-day debate on the Constitution to mark the beginning of the 75th year of its adoption in the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to respond to the two-day debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha on Saturday, sources told PTI.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will initiate the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to initiate a similar debate in the Rajya Sabha, government sources said.
The discussions start after Question Time, which is also on the agenda of the House of Representatives.
India remains “concerned” about the evolving situation in West Asia and attacks on commercial ships in and around the Red Sea threaten freedom of navigation and “impact our trade”, the government told parliament.
External Affairs Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response to a question, also said that the government has “raised the issue” with the countries in the region and that the Indian missions are “closely monitoring” the situation to assess the impact to soften it.
He was asked about the details of the special measures being taken by the government to ensure India's energy security in view of the possible disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea due to the Israel-Iran conflict and the diplomatic efforts of the Indian government. the government to mitigate the impact of this conflict on India's trade routes, especially the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.
A survey conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) through its various field offices found that 18 protected monuments and sites “are not in a good state of preservation”, the government told Parliament.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's performance audit report in 2013 stated that 92 protected monuments were missing, but 74 of them have been traced, the Center had informed Parliament in December 2023.
“During the survey, field offices of the ASI noted the pressure due to rapid urbanization as one of the major challenges facing monuments,” he said.
Furthermore, monuments are monitored by multi-tasking staff, private security guards and CISF. In addition, periodic inspections are also being conducted, he added.
Due to heavy rains in September this year in the Agra region, “few drops of water” were noticed through the ceiling of the main mausoleum of the Taj Mahal on September 12, the government informed Parliament.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said this in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. “This year, there was continuous rainfall for more than three days in Agra region from September 10 to 12, 2024. Due to this heavy rainfall, few water drops were noticed through the ceiling of the main mausoleum of Taj Mahal on September 12, 2024.” the Union Minister said in his reply.
“After a detailed inspection using LiDAR and thermal scanning, preventive measures were immediately taken by sealing the joints and holes to prevent water ingress,” he said.
