Parliament monsoon session highlights: Both Houses adjourned till 11 am tomorrow

Parliament monsoon session live: Rajya Sabha has adjourned the proceedings till 11 am on Tuesday.

Parliament monsoon session live: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw commented on Rahul Gandhi's speech in Lok Sabha today said, “It is sad that Rahul Gandhi's behaviour as the leader of the opposition and the language he uses in Parliament, questioning the constitutional post of the Lok Sabha Speaker, is an action to undermine democracy and the Constitution.”

He added that Gandhi's past actions, such as publicly tearing up an ordinance from his own government, indicate “no intention of him to follow the limits of the Constitution.”

Parliament monsoon session live: On LoP Rahul Gandhi's speech in the Parliament, BJP MP Anil Baluni said, “LoP Rahul Gandhi apologized for his speech in the Parliament as he made several statements that did not align with the dignity of the LoP and the rules of the Parliament. He questioned the Speaker, which is against the rules of the House. Throughout his speech, he did not address the budget. I believe he has not analyzed the Budget. His entire speech did not seem like the Leader of Opposition was discussing the Union Budget.”

Parliament monsoon session live: Sasmit Patra, a Rajya Sabha member from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), called on the central government on Monday to revise the coal royalty for Odisha.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour session, the BJD parliamentarian highlighted that the revision of Odisha's coal royalty has been pending for the past 12 years.

"Odisha is among the top two states in the country producing the most coal, which supports this country's energy security. However, it is unfortunate that despite its significant contribution to power generation, energy security, and coal production, its rightful demand for a revision of coal royalty has not been addressed in the last 12 years," Patra said during his brief intervention.

He noted that due to the lack of revision, Odisha is losing about ₹10,000 crore annually.

The rates for coal royalty in Odisha were last updated on May 10, 2012.

Parliament monsoon session live: Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal commented on the Supreme Court's launch of a special Lok Adalat today, saying, “I think it's a historic day. Never before in the history of this Court has it reached out to individuals for minor issues that have persisted for years. It reflects the Court's commitment to addressing the needs of the poorest who cannot afford prolonged litigation. By engaging with the district-level legal services authorities to resolve these matters and then bringing them here for final resolution, the Court is making a significant effort. I must congratulate the Chief Justice and the entire Supreme Court for advancing this initiative.”

Parliament monsoon session lives: Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, referring to the deaths that occurred due to flooding in a coaching centre's basement, said, “Coaching has become a thriving industry with substantial returns, and the nature of the advertisements, I mentioned, needs to be scrutinized. Every penny spent on advertisements comes from the students. Every new building is funded by the students. Therefore, there is a genuine need for an approach that can effectively address this issue.”

Parliament monsoon session live: Lok Sabha members on Monday called for an inquiry into the deaths of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in a basement during flooding at their coaching centre, with the BJP attributing the tragedy to the city's AAP government.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav described the incident as tragic and demanded a thorough investigation to establish accountability for the students' deaths.

"In Uttar Pradesh, bulldozers are run over illegal buildings. I want to know if bulldozers will be run here too," the MP from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj said.

Parliament monsoon session lives: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, speaking in the Rajya Sabha about the deaths of three IAS aspirants who drowned in a basement during flooding at a coaching centre, raised the issue of ‘unemployment.’

She also highlighted the plight of students sent to countries like Ukraine, noting how they had to be brought back due to the war situation.

Parliament monsoon session live: Speaking about the “special package” provided to Andhra Pradesh under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy said in Lok Sabha that it cannot replace the demand for “special category” status promised to the state during the bifurcation.

Presenting her seventh consecutive Budget on July 23, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a special financial support package of ₹15,000 crore for the development of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city for the financial year 2024-25.

Parliament monsoon session live: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the Rajya Sabha regarding the death of three UPSC aspirants in Delhi

“There was negligence. Only when accountability is fixed, there will be a solution...It is our responsibility to ensure that such an incident is not repeated,” Pradhan said.

Parliament monsoon session live: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that the 'Chakravyuh' capturing India is driven by three forces:

“ 1) The concept of monopoly capital, where only a few individuals are allowed to control the nation's wealth, leading to a concentration of financial power. 2) The institutions and agencies of the nation, such as the CBI, ED, and IT. 3) The political executive”

Parliament monsoon session live: In Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi says, “Hindustan's nature is different. There is a formation against 'Chakravyuh' in every religion. In Hinduism, 'Shiv ki Baarat' is the opposite of 'Chakravyuh'. Anyone can join 'Shiv ki Baarat', - anyone from any faith...This fight is between 'Shiv ki Baarat' and 'Chakravyuh'. We break down 'Chakravyuh'through MNREGA, the Green Revolution, independence, and the constitution.You form 'Chakravyuh'. 'Chakravyuh' can't defeat 'Shiv ki Baarat'. Look at your history. You call yourself Hindu, you don't understand Hinduism. You are people who form 'Chakravyuh', bogus.”

Parliament monsoon session live: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh responded in Lok Sabha to Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the Agniveer scheme, stating that the Agniveers are not promised a pension.

Rahul Gandhi also brought up the issue of compensation for a martyr, saying that it was insurance, and the government did not provide any compensation for the death of an Agniveer in a landmine explosion in Naushera, Jammu and Kashmir, in January.

Parliament monsoon session live: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi said, “My expectation was that this Budget would weaken the power of this 'Chakravyuh', that this Budget would help the farmers of this country, would help the youth of this country, would help the labourers, small business of this country. But what I have seen is that the sole aim of this Budget is to strengthen this framework - framework of monopoly business, of a political monopoly that destroys the democratic structure and of deep state and the agencies. The result of this has been - those who gave employment to India, small and medium businesses, were attacked through demonetisation, GST and tax terrorism.”

Parliament monsoon session live: While discussing Budget 2024, Rahul Gandhi said that it was made for people like Adani and Ambani and not for the middle class, taking an ‘A1 - A2 (Adani and Ambani)’ dig at Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, while speaking about his meeting with farmer leaders during the Budget 2024 discussion, promised a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price for farmers if the INDIA bloc forms the government.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi while speaking in Lok Sabha said, “Thousands of years ago in Kurukshetra, six individuals trapped Abhimanyu in a 'Chakravyuh' and killed him. I discovered that 'Chakravyuh' is also known as 'Padmavyuh,' meaning 'Lotus formation,' as it resembles a lotus. In the 21st century, a new 'Chakravyuh' has been created, symbolized by the lotus. The Prime Minister wears this symbol on his chest. What happened to Abhimanyu is now happening to India – to the youth, farmers, women, and small and medium businesses. Today, there are six people at the center of this 'Chakravyuh': Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani, and Adani.”

Following Speaker Om Birla's intervention, Gandhi added, “If you prefer, I will omit the names of the NSA, Ambani, and Adani, and mention just three names.”

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Invoking the ‘paid internship scheme’ introduced by the Centre in Budget 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called it a ‘joke’.

The scheme aims to target 1 crore youth over the next five years by providing government-mandated internships in the top 500 companies across the country. Each intern will receive a monthly stipend of ₹5,000 and a one-time assistance sum of ₹6,000. Participating companies will cover the training costs for interns, partially funded through their CSR budget.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, speaks about ‘paper leaks’ while discussing the Budget.

“There is an atmosphere of fear in India, and that fear has pervaded every aspect of our country,” he said.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: In response, Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the government is committed to the socio-psychological welfare of students, whether they are in coaching centers or educational institutions. He noted that in January 2024, the government issued detailed guidelines to all states regarding coaching centers, and some states like Goa and Rajasthan have their own regulations.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: In the Lok Sabha, Congress leader KC Venugopal raised concerns about the Delhi coaching institute incident and the pressure on students. He pointed towards student suicides and caste discrimination, particularly against SC, ST, and OBC students, as major issues. Venugopal also raised the recent tragedy at a Delhi coaching center where three students lost their lives, calling for government action and guidelines for coaching centers.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: In the Lok Sabha on Monday, members from various parties called for an inquiry into the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar, central Delhi. BJP leader and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj blamed the AAP government's "utter apathy" for the tragedy and demanded an inquiry committee under the Home Ministry.

"Criminal negligence of the Aam Aadmi Party has led to the death of these students," Swaraj said during the Zero Hour, questioning why the city's drains were not being cleaned and accusing the Delhi government of corruption.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor addressed the Old Rajinder Nagar incident, expressing deep concern. "It's a shocking situation," he said. "When you have a brilliant student, all the dreams of serving the nation through the UPSC exam are shattered, along with the hopes of their family. While compensation is necessary, it cannot replace the tragic loss of a young life. There are serious issues that need addressing, including widespread violations of building codes, fire safety, and flood safety regulations in the city. The corporation also bears responsibility; I've seen a clearance certificate issued on 9 July, suggesting compliance, yet these violations persist," Tharoor added.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Union minister for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution, Pralhad Joshi, announced that tomatoes are currently being sold at ₹70-80 per kg in major cities like Delhi. In response, the government has decided to offer tomatoes at ₹60 per kg at 18 centers in Delhi, sourced from three 'mandis' through the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Joshi said that this initiative is made possible by the Modi government's Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), a facility that did not exist before.

Parliament monsoon session live updates: Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and Jebi Mather visited the family of Nevin Dalvin, one of the students who drowned in the flooded basement of a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar. They met the family at RML Hospital in Delhi, where the bodies are being kept.

Tharoor called on the government to provide compensation, describing the incident as "shameful." He said, "The dreams of those youth have been shattered, and the hopes of their families have been crushed. This is extremely saddening for the country and its future."