Parliament Winter Session Live Updates: Houses to resume at 11am. (File)
Parliament Winter Session Highlights: Following the conclusion of the Constitution debate in Rajya Sabha yesterday, both Houses will resume today at 11am. In Lok Sabha, Congress has given a notice to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark on BR Ambedkar during the Constitution debate yesterday. In Rajya Sabha, members will discuss the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
Here are Live Updates of the Parliament Winter Session:
Congress MP Vijay Vasanth gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss disparities in MGNREGA wages.
Congress MP Vijay Vasanth gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss disparities in MGNREGA wages. pic.twitter.com/4QmJgPjYoa
– ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2024
Congress MP Manickam Tagore has given an Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks regarding Dr BR Ambedkar.
In his notice, Mr Tagore wrote, “He (Amit Shah) further trivialized Dr. Ambedkar’s monumental contribution by suggesting that those who invoke his name as frequently as the Congress does would attain “swarg” (heaven). This blasphemous statement is an attempt to undermine Dr. Ambedkar’s pivotal role in drafting the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equality, justice, and dignity for all citizens, especially the marginalized communities.”
The Congress Party has urged the House to “take a strong stand against this disrespect” and has demanded an unqualified apology.
Union home minister Amit Shah argued that if the Congress could change the constitution 77 times and even introduce a clause that curtails freedom of expression, they cannot object to the ‘One Nation, One Poll’ Bill on the ground that it would require constitutional amendment.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the two-day Constitution debate, Mr Shah said, “Another amendment was brought by Indira Gandhi which gave Parliament the power to curtail the fundamental rights of the citizens”.
Then mentioning Article 19A, he questioned why it was brought in. “To curtail the freedom of expression,” he added amid loud protest from Congress members.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the ‘One Nation, One Poll’, a constitutional amendment bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Once approved, the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly referred to as the Bill on ‘One Nation, One Poll’, will ensure Lok Sabha, Assembly, and local body (urban or rural) elections are held in the same year, if not at the same time. This was the norm from independence to 1967.
To pass a bill, two-third majority (307 votes) required. 269 voted in favour of the motion while 198 members opposed it.
For now, the bill will be sent to a joint committee for “wider consultation”. The composition of the joint committee – which will also include Rajya Sabha MPs – will be settled by Speaker Om Birla in 48 hours (Thursday). This deadline is key because this Parliament session ends Friday. If a committee is not named and tasked, the bill lapses and must be re-introduced in the next session.