The Speaker thanked Modi for acceding to his request and avoiding unpleasant scenes in the Lok Sabha by not coming to the House on Wednesday.
A new Lokpal Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and the existing one withdrawn.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told INDIA bloc leaders that despite public anger indicating a win for the opposition, the main challenge is the alleged lack of free and fair elections due to the BJP's control over state institutions. He urged unity and a strategy of 'resistance' against what he termed election 'theft'.
'...especially pressure on the rupee, the current account deficit, and foreign exchange outflows.' 'The key question over the next several months is whether the government can prevent external turbulence from feeding into domestic economic pessimism.'
Amid cross-voting, National Democratic Alliance-supported Independent candidate Parimal Nathwani on Thursday won one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand, defeating the Congress's Pranav Jha, an official said.
Congress leader K Muraleedharan has dismissed the BJP's influence in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections, accusing the party of failing to fulfil its promises to the state.
'Even if it is defeated and the Speaker remains, the Opposition parties that have lost faith in his impartiality will continue to have that feeling.' 'If the Speaker reflects on this and tries to be more neutral, more impartial, more objective in his conduct -- then one can say the resolution had a salutary effect. That would be the best outcome.'
Chatterjee said it was a matter of shame that this had happened while an inquiry was already on to look into the bribe-for-questions scandal.
The Congress party in Haryana boycotted a special session of the state assembly, accusing the ruling BJP of using the platform for political propaganda related to a defeated Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation. The BJP criticised the Congress's move as anti-women.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP and RSS for undermining the Constitution and accused the TMC of failing to deliver on job creation promises during rallies in West Bengal.
A cartoon depicting B R Ambedkar purportedly published in a NCERT textbook and row over Home Minister P Chidambaram's statement in the Aircel-Maxis deal today led to disruption of the Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday came under attack in Lok Sabha from the Opposition which accused the ruling party of fuelling communalism, resulting in uproar in the House during a debate on communal violence.
Samajwadi Party MP Ajendra Singh Lodhi has been booked in Mahoba for allegedly assaulting a public official and promoting hate speech after referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'anti-national'. The BJP is staging protests across Uttar Pradesh in response to the remarks.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday evening released its first list of 54 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
From Arun Govil and Shobana to Vivek Oberoi and Kajal Aggarwal, meet the sprawling supporting cast bringing Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana to life.
'Narendra Modi -- a man with deep and vital experience of Indian politics -- has seen the BJP lose many elections between 1975 and 2015, and with every defeat, he learned lessons that made sure he would never allow his party to be defeated so easily again.'
Senior party leader and prime ministerial candidate L K Advani will contest from Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat. Other prominent names announced in the first list include Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar), Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur), Shripad Y Naik (Panaji), Anurag Thakur (Hamirpur) and T P S Rawat (Pauri).
Sources said the party top brass including Gandhi and Kharge held several hours of discussions with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, apart from meeting them separately, and is likely to take a call on a possible change of guard in the state after the Rajya Sabha polls, which are due next month.
EC officials said the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections will begin at 8 am on Thursday and results are expected only by late evening.
Mumbai police have registered a case against the organisers of a BJP rally after a woman's outburst over the resulting traffic jam went viral. The rally, held to celebrate the women's reservation bill, allegedly violated norms, leading to the police action.
West Bengal's upcoming 2026 election may hinge on the impact of recent electoral roll revisions, particularly in 65-70 closely contested constituencies where victory margins are slim. The deletion of over 90 lakh names, especially in key areas like Nandigram, Bhabanipur, and the Matua belt, has redrawn the electoral map, potentially influencing the outcome for both the TMC and BJP.
The BJP has accused Rahul Gandhi of meeting with 'enemies of India' during a visit to Germany, alleging a conspiracy against the country.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the NEET paper leak controversy, demanding the sacking of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and questioning the government's handling of the situation.
Three Parliamentarians, including Bharatiya Janata Party's Maheish Girri, have asked the Lok Sabha Speaker to send Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann to a "rehab centre", alleging he comes to the House "intoxicated".
In an apparent reference to the buzz of six rebel Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MPs switching sides, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said this is just a trailer and the movie is yet to come, indicating more defections could be in offing in the rival faction.
The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday decided against teaming up another political party to contest the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, informed BJP general secretary Santanu Bharali.
BJP patriarch Vajpayee and Lok Sabha Speaker Chatterjee, the senior-most and the only two ten-term MPs in the 14th Lok Sabha, will not be contesting the general elections this time for different reasons.
Congress women MPs in the Lok Sabha have accused Speaker Om Birla of bias, alleging he made false allegations against them under pressure from the ruling party to defend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from the House.
The bill, which criminalises instant divorce by Muslim men and seeks jail term for the guilty, was the first draft legislation tabled by the Narendra Modi government in this first session after it took oath of office for a second term in May.
The law minister said 20 Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, have banned the triple talaq. "Why can't a secular India do it?" he asked.
"Left Front's opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal and Tamil Nadu's ruling party's attempt to destroy Ram Sethu would bring a radical change in Indian politics," he said.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya has resigned as the party's West Bengal president and from all other posts, citing a loss of trust after an admonishment from Mamata Banerjee. She has since been seen meeting with the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction, further deepening the organisational crisis within the TMC following its recent Assembly election defeat.
Social media has played a significant role in recent Lok Sabha elections and it will continue to do so in future, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh perceives the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections to be a fight for its own existence and all that it stands for. Archis Mohan reports
Principal opposition Congress too staged a walk out saying its members should have been the first ones to speak but were being denied a chance.
"It is a historic day. We are making history today," Law Minister said.
In a landmark overhaul of colonial-era criminal laws, the Centre on Friday introduced in the Lok Sabha three bills to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act, proposing among other things repeal of the sedition law and introducing a new provision with a wider definition of the offence.
The Allahabad High Court has directed the registration of an FIR against Congress MP Rahul Gandhi concerning allegations of dual citizenship, potentially escalating the legal scrutiny surrounding the opposition leader.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated debate between the opposition and the government regarding a discussion on the West Asia crisis, with accusations of political maneuvering and failure to uphold the dignity of parliamentary positions.
The outcome of the assembly elections will not only determine AIUDF's immediate relevance but could also shape its long-term role in Assam's political landscape.
