Both, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are discussing the issue of intolerance during the Winter Session of Parliament today.
Lok Sabha on Monday witnessed repeated adjournments and protests as it debated the issue of intolerance. Similar scenes are expected to continue in the House on Tuesday, as both sides – the Opposition and the treasury benches – will continue their verbal attack against each other.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is expected to participate in day two of the discussion in Lok Sabha.
Rajya Sabha, which will conclude the discussion on the Indian Constitution on Tuesday, will also initiate a discussion on intolerance, where Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury are likely to hit out against the government.
Live updates from the session:
4:06 pm Tharoor lauds Narendra Modi’s way of handling the crowd during the bomb blast at his Patna rally before Lok Sabha elections. ” I want to know the same what has gone wrong with Modi, who displayed great sense of responsibility during the bomb blast at his rally to avoid panic,” said Tharoor.
4:03 pm We cannot promote Make in India abroad while promoting intolerance in the country: Tharoor
4:00 pm Congress leader Shashi Tharoor speaks in Lok Sabha on intolerance.
3:30 pm BJP MP Kirron Kher thanks NDA govt for respecting film industry.
2:45 pm: NCP MP Supriya Sule asks the ruling party to rise to the occasion and introspect over issues like ‘ghar wapsi’ and ‘award wapsi’.
Rajnath ji, please tell your ministers and colleagues to think before you talk, says Sule.
Let’s not run down Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. They have worked globally: Sule.
1.05 pm: Must stop playing caste politics, says TDP MP Jayadev Galla Speaking during the intolerance debate in Lok Sabha, Galla said politicians must stop dividing people on the basis of caste and religion as it only hurts the nation.
“We are misusing the word intolerance,” Galla said, adding that issues like the murder of Dabholkar or the Dadri lynching must be condemned but at the same time questioned how the NDA government at the Centre could be
responsible, saying law and order is a state issue.
“State governments must take action against such elements and the role of the Centre, if any, must be proved before allegations against the Centre,” Galla said.
11.40 am: Govt must make stand clear on where it stands, says Derek O’Brien
Speaking on the discussion of India’s commitment to the Indian constitution, O’Brien quoted MS Golwakar, saying the Modi government must clarify what its stand on the Indian Constitution is.
“The non-Hindu people of Hindustan must either adopt Hindu culture and language, must learn and respect and hold in reverence the Hindu religion, must entertain no idea but of those of glorification of the Hindu race and culture … In a word they must cease to be foreigners, or may stay in the country, wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment—not even citizens’ rights.”
M. S. Golwalkar had said.
11.25 am: Congress MP Ashok Chavan asks govt what steps have been taken to end farmer crisis
“More that 3000 farmers are committing suicide in Maharashtra, my question to the government is when are they going to release funds to better the situation.” Chavan was speaking on the impact of climate change on farmers.
In his response, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said the Centre has spoken to state government’s across the country on the issue. “Our team has returned from Maharashtra and in two or three days they will have a meeting… we will address all issues,” Singh said.
11.05 am: MPs raise questions on communal violence during Question Hour
Opposition MPs took the opportunity to raise concerns about communal violence during the Question Hour forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to intervene and urged MPs to restrict their ‘statements’ to ‘questions.’
Responding to the questions, MoS Home Kiren Rijiju said there were cases of violence that were happening across the country, but it needs to be determined which cases were communal and which were not.
Rijiju said the government had no panel to look into cases of communal violence.
10.55 am: Don’t make provocative statements, BJP MPs told
As the BJP’s parliamentary party meeting ended, PTI reports that BJP MPs have been instructed not to make any provocative statement that could disrupt the functioning of the House.
“BJP MPs told not to make provocative statements as it deflects from PM Narendra Modi’s developmental agenda,” Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
The government is banking on the support of the Opposition to push important legislation like the GST Bill.
10.45 am: Left protest outside Parliament House
Earlier this morning, Left parties protested against the government’s handling of yesterday’s developments in the House. The protests were led by Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury.
10.00 am: BJP holds Parliamentary Party meet BJP MPs met this morning to discuss their strategy ahead of what is expected to be a stormy day in Parliament, given Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will both debate the issue of ‘intolerance’.