Parliament LIVE | Winter Session ends amid NDA-INDIA bloc face-off; ONOE bill sent to JPC
The raging row over the Ambedkar issue spilled over to the last day of Parliament’s Winter Session with both INDIA Bloc and NDA MPs staging separate protests
Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday (December 20) following an uproar on the premises after protests by MPs of the Opposition bloc over various issues, including the BR Ambedkar row.
As a mark of protest, the INDIA bloc skipped the Lok Sabha Speaker's customary tea party. Opposition leaders said there was no point in joining such a tea party when FIRs were being filed against their MPs, and they were not getting a chance to speak in the House.
Amid ruckus over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks related to BR Ambedkar, the Lok Sabha referred the two bills on simultaneous bills to a joint committee of Parliament.
Opposition members were raising slogan haling Ambedkar and slamming Shah when the House met for the day.
Also read: Parliament LIVE | Delhi police book Rahul Gandhi for scuffle in House
Priyanka Gandhi, Anurag Thakur in JPC
Instead of taking up the Question Hour, Speaker Om Birla asked Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to move the resolution to refer the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, referred to Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) comprising 27 members from the Lok Sabha and 12 from the Rajya Sabha.
Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari and the Trinamool's Kalyan Banerjee and Saket Gokhale are among the Opposition faces in the committee, while former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Sambit Patra, and Anil Baluni will represent the government.
The resolution was adopted by a voice vote amid noisy scenes. The Lok Sabha was then adjourned sine die (indefinitely), bringing to an end the Winter Session which began on November 25.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday after the House adopted a motion to nominated 12 members to the joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls.
When the House met this morning, it witnessed protests by Opposition members and was adjourned amid the din. The Chairman also held a meeting with Leader of the House JP Nadda and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge besides leaders of various Opposition parties in a bid to end the impasse in the House.
Parallel protest by INDIA Bloc, NDA MPs
Earlier, the raging row over the Ambedkar issue spilled over to the last day of Parliament’s Winter Session with both INDIA Bloc and NDA MPs staging separate protests.
Opposition MPs have taken out a protest rally from Vijay Chowk to Parliament demanding an apology from Home Minister’s Amit Shah’s and his resignation as well for his remarks against BR Ambedkar.
BJP MPs also protesting inside the Parliament complex at the Gandhi statue in Prerna Sthal demanding action, including suspension from Parliament, against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi for allegedly assaulting party MPs.
LS speaker bans protests at Parliament gates
After political protests turned ugly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday banned demonstrations by MPs and political parties at any of the gates of Parliament, PTI said, quoting sources.
Also read: Parliament scuffle: Who are MPs Pratap Sarangi, Mukesh Rajput, Phangnon Konyak?
"Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament or groups of members will hold any dharna and demonstration at building gates of Parliament House," sources told PTI.
The instructions came on a day when Parliament premises saw rival protests by the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc parties on the alleged insults to BR Ambedkar, which soon turned into jostling and scuffles leaving two MPs injured and a woman MP claiming intimidation by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Watch | Chaos, scuffle and blood: As ugly as it can get in Parliament
Delhi police registered an FIR against Rahul under various sections after BJP leaders filed a police complaint. A police officer said that all sections in the FIR are bailable except Section 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Congress too has filed a complaint with police alleging BJP MPs of misbehaving with its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and LoP Rahul.
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Live Updates
- 20 Dec 2024 4:02 PM IST
BJP MPs behaved like terrorists, alleges Congress leader
At the post-Parliament session Congress briefing, Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari said, "I do not wish to call anyone a terrorist but the way BJP MPs behaved outside Parliament yesterday; how they blocked Opposition MPs from entering Parliament, brought sticks inside the Parliament premises and tried to intimidate our MPs, was all terrorist-like... I am not calling anyone a terrorist, but the behaviour and mannerisms were like terrorists; it felt like Parliament was under siege again, not by terrorists but by BJP MPs".
Tiwari also alleged that BJP MP Phangnon Konyak, who has accused Rahul Gandhi of shouting at her and making her feel uncomfortable, tried to stop him from entering Parliament. "She came at me and stopped me from entering Parliament. I got scared, thought about my age and walked away'".
- 20 Dec 2024 3:27 PM IST
What's Winter Session's productivity? Take a guess
The Winter session of the Lok Sabha, which saw a series of disruptions over issues ranging from Adani to billionaire George Soros' alleged links with the Congress leadership as well as Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks related to BR Ambedkar, saw a productivity of 57.87 per cent, official sources said.
The House met on November 25 and was adjourned sine die (indefinitely) on Friday amid protests by opposition and treasury benches over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar and directions by Speaker Om Birla to members against holding demonstrations at any gate of Parliament.
One of the key bills introduced during the session was related to holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The two bills were on Friday referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament for examination and wider consultations.
The House also saw a spirited debate on 75 years of adoption of the Constitution last week in which treasury benches and opposition launched a series of attacks on each other.
