Will voters in Ernakulam take to the Communist MP who asked 447 more questions and took part in 162 more debates than your average MP? Will Arun Jaitley's wish come true? Krishna Prasad, the renowned journalist and Outlook magazine's former editor-in-chief, reports from Kochi.
The Opposition said the judgement will strengthen the hands of a government.
Polling for 16 Rajya Sabha seats in four states will be held on Friday amid allegations of attempts at horse-trading by rival parties which have corralled their MLAs in hotels and scenic resorts, prompting the Election Commission to appoint special observers and order videography of the entire exercise.
Dravida Munetra Kazhagam President M Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi was on Thursday reelected to Rajya Sabha with Congress support from Tamil Nadu after a contest with actor Vijayakanth's Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam candidate.
The two bills -- Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 -- were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Shashi Tharoor said that just by giving a good speech, good days do not come as for that there is a need to do some work.
An instance of a foreigner extending support to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its front organisations has come to notice, the government said on Wednesday.
Consensus building is likely to be the biggest casualty.
The Left parties on Monday boycotted Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien by staging a walkout to protest his presiding over the proceedings of the House when it was debating the gruesome rape of a five-year-old girl in Delhi.
The Centre needs to have dialogue with the Opposition instead of letting politics come in the way; it needs to stoop to conquer, says Aditi Phadnis.
'It is very unfortunate that the AAP seems to be looking at the issue through the prism of rivalry with Congress in Delhi and Punjab'
The killing of Karnataka official S P Mahantesh, said to be a whistle-blower in controversial land allotments by societies, was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday by a CPI-M member who suspected its linkages with the controversial Tatra Truck purchases in the defence ministry.
Sources said former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for early passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha during the upcoming session as the same has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
EC said it has decided to 'withdraw' the press note announcing the elections to RS seats from Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal.
The National Judicial Commission Bill, 2022, was introduced after the majority of voice votes were in its favour.
In the last six assembly elections, the state voted the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress to power alternately.
The CPI (M) members seemed determined to thwart the bill, aimed at increasing the FDI limit in the insurance sector. As Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal rose to introduce the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008, CPI (M) member T K Rangarajan tried to grab the copy of the bill from him. An agitated-looking external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee pushed Rangarajan to protect Bansal. Another minister Meira Kumar rushed to shield Bansal, who introduced the bill.
Inaugurating the solidarity rally, Venugopal, a Rajya Sabha MP, strongly condemned the war unleashed by Israel in Gaza and their attacks against hospitals and refugee camps there.
There will be no Question Hour and private members' bills will not be taken up in the Monsoon session, while the Zero Hour will be restricted.
Kerala's election discourse operates surreptitiously. Its explicit face focuses on important national and local issues. At the same time, it seeks to secure apt communal equations to ensure votes, notes Shyam G Menon.
The dinner was attended by a select few guests like Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, BJD leader Jay Panda and National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi cited a viral video on social media platforms, claiming that in it Modi's voice is heard in a call with BJP rebel Kripal Parmar.
'Most leaders, from Lalu Yadav and Mamata to M K Stalin, respect and trust Sonia. She should continue unless she expressly declines.'
'If the BJP thinks it is going to overnight transform Bengal into Madhya Pradesh, sorry, that's not going to happen because I have faith in our ethos and culture.'
It is in circumstances like this that the Constitution becomes extremely important. It reminds us that we have a commitment towards higher human values to fulfil, a path to get back to, suggests Shyam G Menon.Else, we risk being rudderless in an ocean of money and majoritarianism, suggests Shyam G Menon.
The government is bracing up for a tough week in Parliament from Monday, with opposition parties giving a number of notices in both Houses seeking a debate on 'intolerance' in society and action against some ministers for their alleged provocative remarks.
'Nothing has been removed or added to my Twitter profile. The profile is as it was earlier'
Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Democratic Front opposition on Thursday forced the adjournment of the Kerala assembly over alleged police excess against women members of Legislative Assembly demanding re-investigation of charges against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien in the Suryanelli gang-rape case.
'Hygiene is very bad, there is no medicine and there is no electricity.' 'I fear that there will be a breakout of some disease.'
The CBI, in its letter, said the matter was 'analysed' by the agency and it 'revealed violations of RBI guidelines and FEMA regulations'.
For the second successive day, the Opposition disrupted proceedings in Parliament over the government's new sugarcane price policy.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh puts it succinctly: "Arun Jaitley was every non-BJP person's favourite BJP-ite."
Ending a weeklong logjam, Rajya Sabha on Monday resumed normal functioning during the Question Hour after government and opposition leaders agreed to a compromise formula to end protests over Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's controversial remarks.
During the meeting, the parties also decided to unitedly move forward in fielding a joint candidate for the post of deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, which fell vacant after the retirement of P J Kurien on July 1.
A basic outline and roadmap for Opposition unity are likely to be deliberated upon with the contentious issue of seat sharing and leadership questions to be avoided for now.
The Gujarat elections will be held on December 9 and 14.
Continuing its pressure on Congress led United Democratic Front government for re-investigation into the alleged involvement of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien in the Suryanelli gangrape case, opposition Left Democratic Front on Wednesday walked out of the assembly after government rejected the demand.
The Left parties will greet visiting US President Barack Obama on Monday with protests but their MPs, barring the Forward Bloc (which has two MPs in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha), will listen to him when he addresses Parliament.
Naidu said have shown no remorse and have instead justified their actions.
Government on Thursday said that it will evolve a consensus on rules for control of internet content after talking to various stakeholders including MPs and industry representatives.
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