Parliament Session Live Updates: Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi over ‘Hinduism not about spreading hatred’ remark

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the BJP-led central government refused to accept the demands of farmers to roll back the three new farm laws as it saw “farmers as terrorists”. “We demanded that there be a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in the farmers’ protests, but the government refused. It was because you saw them as terrorists,” Rahul said.

Home Minister Amit Shah said that Rahul was making false statements in the House and that such loose talk cannot be allowed in the Lok Sabha. “We understand that Rahul is making his first speech as LoP, but that does not mean he will breach the rules of procedure of the House. You need to protect us, Speaker Sir,” Shah said.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to face defeat in the Gujarat Assembly elections. “INDIA bloc will be defeated in the Gujarat elections. I can give it in writing,” Rahul said.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday sought to mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the latter has claimed that he has a direct connection with the Almighty. “These are not my words. These are the words of the Prime Minister. He must have received orders from above to impose demonetisation and a flawed GST,” he said.

The state of Manipur has been pushed into a civil war due to the central government’s indifference. “Prime Minister does not bother to visit the state, says no word on it. We pushed the government… we visited Manipur and tried to understand the situation. For Modi ji and Home Minister Amit Shah, Manipur is not a state in India… It does not exist!” Rahul said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh objected to Rahul Gandhi‘s remarks that individuals enrolled under the Agniveer scheme are not eligible for any pension or compensation in the event of death. Singh said that martyrs received Rs 1 crore as compensation under the scheme and advised Rahul to stop misleading the nation through falsehoods.

Heated scenes were seen in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address where Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi‘s remarks that Hinduism is not about spreading fear hatred and falsehoods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi objected to the remarks and said it painted the entire Hindu community as “violent”.

Union minister Chirag Paswan on Monday said, “Discussion is always done after the Motion of thanks on President’s address. The government has nothing to hide on the NEET issue. Central agencies are carrying out investigations on the issue of paper leaks. The government will take a decision in the interests of children”

On new criminal laws, he says, “The laws are passed after holding proper discussions…New provisions have been added…The opposition should not oppose everything that is passed by the government.”

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, demanded the Agniveer Scheme be scrapped during his address in the Upper House on Monday.

“The morale of the youth has been shattered by bringing an unplanned and ‘tughlaqi’ scheme like Agniveer,” Kharge said in the Rajya Sabha.

“I demand that Agniveer Scheme be scrapped,” Kharge added while participating in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha.

As Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took the floor to respond to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, he listed out the atrocities against the minorities and said, “There was no mention of poor, Dalits, minorities in President’s address.”

Right of expression does not extend to casting aspersions on institutions, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said in response to Congress MP and LoP Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the Rajya Sabha. “All our institutions have been captured by one organisation,” Kharge said, adding that the RSS and the BJP have together destroyed the country’s institutions. The remarks led to uproar from the Treasury benches with BJP MPs demanding that Kharge’s remarks be expunged.

While addressing the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “PM Modi expert only in giving slogans. Manipur burning from last year but PM did not visit the state.”

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of the NEET paper leak during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha on Monday. “The government does not convey measures taken and when we try and raise the issue that has affected millions of students, they say we only create uproar for the sake of disrupting Parliament proceedings,” he said, adding that the Centre must also look into the vested interests responsible for the repeated paper leaks. “There have been 70 paper leaks in the last 7 years… We demand a Supreme Court-monitored exercise to probe the paper leaks and institutionalise measures for lasting impact.”

Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday appealed to the Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to restore the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar to their original places in the Parliament complex.

The statues have been relocated to Prerna Sthal, a dedicated area at the back of the complex. This decision has been criticised by Opposition parties, who have demanded a rollback.

Amid Opposition protest in Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla on Friday said, “Outside the House, some MPs level allegations that the Speaker switches off the mic. The control of the mic is not in the hands of the one who sits on the Chair.”

Opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Monday during former Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s address. The MPs walked out after the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi sought a day-long discussion on the NEET paper leak issue.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday raised the NEET irregularities issue in the House and demanded a “dedicated discussion”.

He said, “A message is being disseminated to the country from Parliament. We want to give a message to students that the NEET issue is important for the Parliament. So, to send this message we want the Parliament to discuss this.”

Opposition MPs, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, are protesting at the Parliament complex alleging the misuse of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

As the Parliament reconvened for Day 6 on Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla did not accept adjournment motions moved by Opposition MPs seeking discussions on the NEET paper leak allegations. The Opposition has been pushing the government to have a “dedicated discussion” on the issue.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday congratulated Team India for a stunning victory in the T20 World Cup on Saturday. India defeated South Africa to become world champions in a thriller match in Barbados, West Indies.

The proceedings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha began on Monday. Day 6 of the Parliament Session is expected to witness heated debates as the Opposition is set to rake up the NEET paper leak issue.

Advocate Kamini Jaiswal came down heavily ion the three new criminal laws that came into effect today. “I think it is a disaster. I do not understand who benefits, not the common men, not the lawyers, not the investigating agencies, nobody…” she said, adding that the government’s actions in this regard reek of arrogance of power. “The CrPC was amended in 2013. What are they trying to show? This is just the arrogance of power. What will happen to people who don’t know Hindi. The Judges are saying that they will use old terms only. In local courts, local language is used. There will be a delay in justice,” she added.

(PTI)

As the three new criminal laws came into effect on Monday (July 1), Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge raked up the suspension of MPs in the last Parliament Session issue and said, “After the political and moral shock in the elections, Modi ji and the BJP are pretending to respect the Constitution, but the truth is that the three laws of the criminal justice system that are being implemented from today were forcibly passed by suspending 146 MPs.”

“INDIA will no longer allow this “Bulldozer Justice” to run on the Parliamentary system,” Kharge wrote on X.

As the Parliament gears up to reconvene for Day 6, Congress MP B Manickam Tagore on Monday gave a suspension of business notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the NEET issue.

In the Lok Sabha, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur is set to initiate the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on Monday. The Motion will be seconded by first-term Lok Sabha member Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of Sushman Swaraj.

NEET-UG examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, with around 24 lakh candidates appearing for the paper. The results were announced on June 4 but were followed by allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities.

Allegations of question paper leaks surfaced in states like Bihar after the results were announced, triggering widespread protests, including backlash from the Opposition. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the allegations and has so far arrested six people.

The Opposition leaders have been demanding an extensive discussion on the issue in the Parliament, which has resulted in disruptions of the proceedings and adjournments.

As per the list of business, the Lok Sabha is expected to consider any item that was listed for June 28 and was not concluded. Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, Jitendra Singh, Kirtivardhan Singh and L Murugan will lay the papers for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs respectively.

Congress MP Manish Tewari has moved an adjournment motion for the purpose of discussing the three new criminal laws that came into effect today. The three new laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — are replacing colonial-era laws of the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act.