New Delhi, The government on Wednesday claimed that political parties were in the know of the move to refer the Lokpal bill to a select committee and that leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley was consulted on its composition. "The committee was drawn up after consultation," parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal said. The government claimed that there might have been a gap in communication within BJP as party MPs protested the move while Jaitley sat without intervening. Jaitley contested the government's suggestion that he was on board, saying that he had only been informed about the move to refer the bill to a select committee. "I was not consulted, the ministers merely told me about the government's plan," he said. He also said that when Bansal met him, he had told the minister that he intended to "raise objections with relation to the incompetent amendment to refer the bill to a select committee". He pointed out that in the House, he had asked the government to be upfront about its intent rather than getting a Samajwadi Party MP to move the amendment. Speaking to the media, Bansal said all parties were consulted over the composition of the ...
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New Delhi, With the government sending the controversial Lokpal Bill to a Rajya Sabha select committee for further scrutiny and discussion on Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has accused the former of not being sincere in its efforts to pass anti-graft proposal. "This has become quiet clear, that the intentions of the government over bringing the Ombudsman (Bill) were not correct since the very beginning. The government has once again exposed its corrupt face protecting corrupt people," Naqvi told media here. Expressing displeasure over sending the bill to a select committee, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said: "Any search proposal for select committee can come only and only by the minister in charge who is in possession of the entire proposal. It could not have come from anyone else." "This kind of procedure was most unwarranted. We deeply regret it, and also condemn it. The present consideration is also permissible in terms of Article 252 of the Constitution, where such considerations are permissible only when two state assemblies empower the Rajya Sabha to consider such a proposal," he added. Communist Party of India (CPI) ...
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New Delhi, In yet another twist, the controversial Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill was on Monday referred to the select committee of Rajya Sabha, further delaying the setting up of the anti-graft ombudsman which has been hanging fire for 42 years. The bill, on which debate had remained inconclusive in the Rajya Sabha during the last winter session, was referred to the select committee through a motion soon after minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy moved it for consideration and passage. Interestingly, the motion for referring the bill to the select committee was moved initially by Samajwadi Party member Naresh Agrawal. This was strongly objected to by BJP, Left parties and BSP, with their members arguing that only the minister concerned could move such a motion and accusing the ruling coalition of "using the shoulder" of "friendly opposition" party. After high drama marked by arguments and counter-arguments over whether rules permitted any other member to move such a motion, the government yielded and the motion was moved by Narayanasamy which was immediately passed by voice vote. He said the 15-member committee would have to submit its report by the first day of ...
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New Delhi, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the complaints of money laundering against Indian Premier League (IPL), Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha Monday. Speaking during question hour, Mukherjee said: "There are certain irregularities which are being looked into, particularly relating to some complaints received that there are foreign investments in IPL." "Those are being looked into by the Enforcement Directorate because those are the criminal activities like money laundering," he said. Mukherjee said the IPL is a body of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) and till 2006, the BCCI enjoyed income tax exemptions. He said the BCCI lost exemption registration in 2006 following the verdict of the Allahabad High Court and since then, it is subject to tax. "Tax demands were raised for the assessment years 2007-08 and 2008-09 amounting to Rs.118 crore and Rs.257 crore respectively. As much as Rs.249 crore has already been recovered from the BCCI," he said. The matter was also raised in the Lok Sabha and replying to queries, Sports Minister Ajay Maken said that the ministry has written to the ED to look into the money ...
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New Delhi, With the Budget session set to conclude on Tuesday, the much-debated Lokpal Bill, instead of being brought in the Rajya Sabha, could be referred to a Joint Select Committee amid lack of consensus on its key provisions. "A decision will be taken tomorrow", a Union minister involved in the process said when asked whether the bill would go to a Joint Select Committee or Select Committee. When a Bill comes up before a House for discussion, it may be referred to a Select Committee of the House or a Joint Committee of the two Houses. The Select or the Joint Select Committee considers the Bill clause by clause just as the two Houses do. A senior Congress leader, who declined to be identified, said the possibility of the bill being referred to a Joint Select Committee, cannot be ruled out. Reports said that in the absence of consensus on key provisions of the legislation including the one dealing with Lokpal's superintendence over CBI appears to be deterring the government from bringing the bill in the Rajya Sabha this week. The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. Uncertainty hung over the bill coming up in the Upper House in the current session with ...
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New Delhi, The Telangana issue rocked Rajya Sabha on Friday with political parties laming each other for delay in granting separate statehood to the region. The commotion started with Congress MP Hanumantha Rao alleging that home minister P Chidambaram's statement on creation of a separate Telangana state was given in 2010 after TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu pledged his support for it. Soon Rao, participating in a debate on private member's resolution, made the statement, the members from TDP and BJP sought a clarification from the home minister on the issue. Congress MP said Chidambaram had made the statement about starting the process of creation of Telangana on December 9, 2010, after Naidu said on December 7 that he will support it. Rao's comment attracted the ire of TDP member Devendra Goud T who said that Congress was trying to blame his party for the home minister's statement, demanding clarification from Chidambaram. BJP member Prakash Javadekar (BJP) said Congress was seeking opinion of other parties on the Telangana issue but its own stand was not clear. "All parties are present here and let everyone, including Congress, make its stand clear," he ...
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New Delhi, Had internet been there, the Emergency of 1975 would have been a "fiasco", said Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley Thursday as the upper house of parliament took up a debate on a motion to annul a set of government's rules on internet. A motion to annul the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines) Rules, 2011, moved by P. Rajeeve of the Communist Party of India-Marxist was taken up by the Rajya Sabha in the morning. The rules, enforced in April 2011, have been perceived largely as an indirect censorship of internet content. The set of rules require that all intermediaries, which includes all those who provide internet, telecom, e-mail or blogging services, and cyber cafes, have to remove content that is "grossly harmful, harassing, blasphemous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, libellous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically objectionable, disparaging, relating or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or otherwise unlawful in any manner whatever". Participating in the debate, Jaitley pointed out that the 1975 Emergency would have failed if internet had been there. "If internet had been ...
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Kolkata, Nearly 48 hours after the Bengal chief minister dropped hint that the Lok Sabha polls may be advanced, her party colleagues on Sunday went into damage control mode, saying they were confident that the UPA-II would complete its full term. After Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien, party leader in the Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay on Sunday said the Trinamool would want the Centre to complete its five-year term in office. Mamata had told partymen in Kolkata on Friday that she knew that a political party in Delhi had held a meeting discussing the possibility of preponing the Lok Sabha polls. "There was deliberation (in Delhi) on advancing the LS election to 2013. Anyday, we can face election. We have to remain ready," she had said. Derek had tweeted on Saturday, : "Let me clear the half truths being reported... I would be happy to see UPA 2 last its full term." Sudip said in Delhi on Sunday, "Parliament should continue for the full five-year term. We should ensure it is not dissolved in 13 days or 13 months as in the past. It leads to huge financial losses to the nation." A Trinamool MP said, "The CM's statement was aimed at rejuvenating her party ...
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New Delhi, A cartoon on Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar reportedly printed in an NCERT textbook set off a storm in both houses of parliament Friday, with some members saying it was insulting and should be withdrawn. The issue led to both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha being adjourned repeatedly. The uproar in the Lok Sabha began soon after the house met in the morning. The issue of the cartoon, which also features Jawaharlal Nehru and was published in the textbook for Class 11, was raised by Thol. Thirumavalavan of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal, a Tamil Nadu-based party. He was supported by members cutting across party lines. As the house met for the day, Thirumavalavan raised a placard highlighting the issue and walked towards Speaker Meira Kumar's podium. The speaker had called for the scheduled question hour to be taken up, and asked Thirumavalavan to return to his seat, promising she would allow him time to raise the issue later. Thirumavalavan told the house that the cartoon was "insulting to Ambedkar, Nehru and the whole nation". He wanted the book withdrawn immediately and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to come to the house and make a ...
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New Delhi, Parliament Wednesday passed the Medical Council of India (MCI) amendment bill after the Rajya Sabha adopted the motion for its passage following Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad promising to consult various stakeholders on a crucial legislation that seeks to create an overarching body for health institutions in the country. "I have said that before we come to this house for a discussion on the overarching body, we will have a threadbare discussion with all political parties and will try to reach a consensus," Azad said in his reply to the debate on the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2012. The bill, already passed by the Lok Sabha, was passed by voice vote in the upper house. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) constituent Trinamool Congress sought to embarrass the government by slamming some provisions of the legislation in the Rajya Sabha. The bill seeks to further extend the tenure of the board of governors, which replaced the elected body of MCI in May 2010, following its president Ketan Desai being arrested in a graft case. It seeks to increase the period of reconstitution of council from two years to three years and automatically increasing the ...
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New Delhi, There were no plans to review laws on death sentence, home minister P Chidambaram clarified on Wednesday and said the present government had disposed of a large number of mercy petitions. Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Chidambaram said there were different views pertaining to capital punishment, but none of the commissions were in favour of abolishing the death sentence. "There are two views on death sentence, some countries have totally abolished it, some countries have kept it for certain cases... In India, death sentence is awarded in rarest of rare cases," Chidambaram said. "None of the reports have favoured abolition of death sentence," he said, adding that the government was presently not taking any view on whether or not the time had come to reconsider abolishing death sentence. The minister also added that there are windows for those awarded death sentence through the mercy petition, which either the state governor or the president can consider. "In the last three-and-a-half years we have disposed of 16 mercy petitions," Chidambaram said, adding that the procedure was faster than ...
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New Delhi, Defence Minister A.K Antony on Wednesday said the government would take stringent action against those involved in corruption in acquisition of equipment for the army. Clarifying the government's stand in the Rajya Sabha, Antony said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the matter and the perpetrators would be brought to book. "We have already referred the matter for extensive, comprehensive enquiry by the CBI and we hope CBI will complete the enquiry as quickly as possible. My understanding is that the enquiry is going on fast. While misconception is there about the procurement of equipment for the armed forces; every procurement of this vehicle, hitherto from 1986 onwards, by the ministry is as per the General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQR) report prepared by the army and as per their requirements only," he said. "Government is not imposing the army to take this vehicle, the requirement is coming from their side only, and government side is not imposing," he added. Antony further said that the government has taken a serious note on the procurement issues and during investigation, the CBI has recommended to blacklist six companies, ...
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New Delhi, A day after cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, CPI on Friday demanded that former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly's name should also be considered for the Upper House. "I welcome the decision to nominate Tendulkar to the Rajya Sabha. But at the same time when Sourav is in his top form, his name too should have been considered (for the Rajya Sabha)," CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta told reporter outside Parliament. He also said that besides film stars, writers, people associated with culture and poets should also be sent to the Upper House. The communist leader said that since India "is a country of workers" industrialists should not be brought to the Rajya Sabha. The government yesterday nominated Tendulkar to the Upper House along with actress of yesteryear Rekha and industrialist Anu ...
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New Delhi, Sachin Tendulkar, who turned 39 yesterday, will now become a parliamentarian with the government nominating him to the House of Elders, Rajya Sabha, along with actress of yesteryear Rekha and industrialist Anu Aga. The nomination of the three eminent personalities was tonight approved by President Pratibha Patil under Article 80 of the Constitution that allows the President to nominate 12 members to the 250-member Upper House. The names of Tendulkar, who has brought many a laurel to the country through his exploits in the game, Rekha, known for her brilliant and emotional portrayals in Hindi cinema in the 80s, and industrialist and social worker Aga were sent by the Prime Minister to the home ministry yesterday for approval by the President. 70-year-old Aga, former chairperson of Thermax Industries and a member of the Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council, is a social worker who had figured among the richest Indians in the list by Forbes. Article 80 of the Constitution provides for nomination of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as literature, science, art and social service. 57-year-old Rekha was one of the top heroines ...
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New Delhi, If one thought a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was in the offing, the person would have returned bitterly disappointed from Parliament on Tuesday. Not even Abhishek Bachchan was in the gallery when his mother Jaya Bachchan took oath as a new Rajya Sabha member. It was left to Dalit czarina Mayawati to conjure up some star-power during the oath-taking ceremony of the over 50 new MPs, which included Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and hockey player Dilip Kumar Tirkey, in the Upper House. The BSP supremo, who got elected to the Rajya Sabha for a third stint after her party suffered a resounding defeat in the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, was the centre of all attraction even before the House began its proceedings for the day. Several MPs, cutting across party lines, greeted her. Initially, it seemed Mayawati had chosen not to greet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after she took her oath. But promptly after signing the register, she walked across to the PM, who too stood up to acknowledge her greetings with folded hands. She took her position as the BSP leader on the front row, relegating her lieutenant Satish Chandra Mishra to the second ...
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New Delhi, The government on Tuesday said it has agreed in-principle to deregulate diesel prices, but is not considering similar proposal for the cooking gas. "Government has, in principle, agreed to make the prices of diesel market determined," minister of state for finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. While petrol prices are market-linked, the government fixes the rates of LPG, kerosene and diesel, which results in a large budgetary expenditure on subsidies. "There is no proposal at present to fully deregulate cooking gas price," Meena said. He said the government continues to fix the price of diesel in order to shield the common man from the impact of rising crude oil prices and the resultant inflation. "In order to insulate the common man from the impact of rise in international oil prices and the domestic inflationary conditions, the government continues to modulate the retail selling price of diesel," Meena added. Global crude oil prices have surged since the beginning of 2012 on account of geo-political concerns in the Middle East and abundant global liquidity. The price of Brent crude rose to $120 a barrel in ...
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New Delhi, Both houses of parliament were on Friday adjourned till April 24 for the customary break in the budget session. While the Lok Sabha ended with the issue of separate statehood of Telangana paralysing the house for the fifth consecutive day, the Rajya Sabha was peaceful, bidding farewell to retiring members and getting adjourned due to lack of enough members on the last day before the parliament takes a break. In the Lok Sabha, trouble over Telangana and the central government's "insensitivity" to the demand erupted as soon as the house convened at 11 a.m. MPs from the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) shouted slogans of "Jai Telangana", urging Speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn the house. The dragging demand for a separate state to be carved out of Andhra Pradesh has seen at least two people committing suicide in the last few days. According to MPs from the region, there have been nearly 600 suicides so far. The MPs alleged that the central government was insensitive towards their demand which had driven people to end their lives. The protests continued when the house reassembled at noon, when papers were laid and ...
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New Delhi, Defence minister AK Antony has corroborated Army chief General VK Singh's claim that he was informed by the Army chief about the alleged bribe offer made to him. Speaking on the issue in Rajya Sabha, Antony said that though Gen Singh informed him about the alleged bribe offer by Lt General (retd) Tejinder Singh, he also told him that he didn't want to pursue the matter further when asked to take action. Antony further added that Gen Singh did not file a written complaint upon which action could be taken. The defence minister also said that the CBI that had been ordered to probe the matter following Gen Singh's startling revelation would be 'comprehensive' and no one would be spared regardless of how powerful the person was if found guilty. Earlier, Gen Singh in a media interview stirred a major controversy when he said a recently retired senior officer offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore if he passed sub-standard trucks for procurement by the Army, and he had reported the matter to the defence minister. ...
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New Delhi, Faced with the prospects of a defamation suit and the collective ire of the BJP, NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra on Monday retracted his comments and apologized to senior party leaders against who he had leveled allegations. Mishra who gave several TV interviews after BJP withdrew support for his candidature for a Rajya Sabha seat from Jharkhand and leveled unsubstantiated allegations apologized to party leaders L K Advani, M M Joshi, Nitin Gadkari, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Jaitley soon after Jaitley served a legal notice on him. Mishra said he was offering a "complete and unequivocal public retraction" and "sincerest apologies" for his comments. The businessman further said that he "had no significant association or relationship with BJP." The businessman's candidature was nixed after senior leaders decided to take up the matter with BJP president Nitin Gadkari. After his publicity blitz, Mishra said he now wanted to be left alone and requested the media to respect his private ...
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New Delhi, An all party meeting of Rajya Sabha members to arrive at a consensus on the Lokpal Bill was called on Friday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who said his government was committed to an effective anti-corruption ombudsman body. The PM is meeting the Rajya Sabha members at his residence since 12 noon to discuss the logjam in the upper house over the Lokpal Bill which was passed in the Lok Sabha. "We look forward to benefitting from the wisdom and guidance of all leaders present here in the task that we have set for ourselves," tweeted the Prime Minister ahead of the meeting. He said the "government stands committed to an effective Lokpal legislation." At least 97 amendments were moved by the Opposition members in Rajya Sabha over the Lokpal. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said the government is trying to arrive at a consensus on the issue and also send the message that they were committed to the passage of the Lokpal Bill. Various political parties had raised various objections to the Bill in its present form, while the Anna Hazare group spearheading a campaign for a strong anti-corruption law in the form of a Lokpal Bill said the government was ...
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