Demanding a reinvestigation into the 1996 Suryanelli rape case in view of a charge levelled against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien by the victim, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat on Wednesday said the former should step down from his post.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of the party's strategy group on September 8, the sources said. Opposition leaders are keen that various like-minded parties should work closely with each other to take on the government in Parliament.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has alleged that the BJP was conspiring to poach the MLAs in order to destabilise his government, a charge denied by the saffron party.
The reference to CRPP as a Maoist front organisation came in a written reply in Rajya Sabha by Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Home Affairs.
The FEMA notification dealing with foreign direct investment in retail has to be passed by only one House of Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has claimed belying the Opposition stand that the decision cannot be implemented if it falls in Rajya Sabha, where UPA lacks majority.
The opposition would push for the passage of the two bills -- the farmers' freedom from indebtedness bill and the farmers' right to guaranteed remunerative minimum support prices for agriculture commodities bill -- in the Rajya Sabha
The suspended Rajya Sabha parliamentarians, who spent the night on the lawns near Mahatma Gandhi's statue in what several old-timers said was the first such overnight protest in the complex, got a surprise visitor in the morning -- Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh who came with tea and snacks.
Mahdhani briefed about his health condition and matters related to the cases against him, Poonthura Siraj, working chairman of PDP, who was with Vijayan, told reporters.
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.
Participating in the resumed discussion on the General Budget in the Rajya Sabha, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat said the government is linking food inflation to higher purchasing power among the poor resulting from employment programmes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The opposition has decided to continue with their winning streak and further embarrass the government.
A petition was filed in Kerala high court seeking a direction to the state and director general of police to conduct investigation against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien in the Suriyanelli rape case in the light of the victim's charges against him in the 17-year-old case.
He said G-4, the group comprising Germany, Japan, Brazil and India, should be credited with putting forward the UNSC reforms, including expansion of the security council, on agenda of the UN and it could not be reversed.
The move comes after the letter that four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had earlier written stating that there was danger to the independence of judiciary.
It was a historic day in Rajya Sabha where a motion was moved to impeach a judge of Kolkata High Court and remove him from his post. At 3 pm on Wednesday, the motion was moved by Communist Party of India-Marxcist leader Sitaram Yechury.
'She could have sat down with the students and taken a list of their grievances including their allegations and suspicions.' 'Not all suspicions are true, but you have to listen, you have to let the steam come out.'
President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to Naidu.
'Most leaders, from Lalu Yadav and Mamata to M K Stalin, respect and trust Sonia. She should continue unless she expressly declines.'
The Congress on Friday welcomed the statements of opposition leaders condemning Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha and said it was now time for the party to take on the job of building the opposition unity in a "systematic way".
Expressing concern over the delay in delivering justice in the Ruchika molestation case, Communist Party of India - Marxist Rajya Sabha member Brinda Karat on Tuesday said the 'infirmities' in India's legal system should be reformed so that timely justice can be given to those seeking it.
The judge refused to comment on it, stating that he would address all inquiries after submitting his resignation.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee lost his temper in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after being repeatedly interrupted by Communist Party of India - Marxist member Brinda Karat during discussions on the price rise issue. "I am not going to accept this. This is indiscipline. It is not permitted here," an incensed Mukherjee retorted at Karat's intervention. As she objected to his remarks, Mukherjee shot back, "Please do not show your temper here, show your temper somewhere else."
The CPI-M said that it would pull down the government if it 'falters' on foreign policy and 'succumbs' to US pressure. "If it falters, we will pull down the government. We cannot afford to be drawn into the strategic tie-ups. We will not permit the government to succumb to the US pressure," party leader Sitaram Yechury said.
Rahul Gandhi said both Rae Bareli and Wayanad "will get two MPs".
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Tapan Kumar Sen (CPI-M) said the move is a 'retrograde step' and asked as to why interest rates on employees' lifetime savings are getting cut when RBI has increased interest rates.
Initiating a Short Duration Discussion on the proposal to set up a SEZ in Nandigram and consequent large-scale violence, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said since directives to the state under Article 355 would not work, 'President's Rule should be imposed.'
Deriving from Narendra Modi's continuing charisma, the proposed scheme, if and when implemented, can cut both ways. That is to say, if Modi can win, he can lose. Or, someone else in his place, later on, could lose as much as he could win in his time, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, MP Achuthan (Communist Party of India-Marxist) said that in Kerala public sector oil companies had made it mandatory for people to get Aadhar-linked bank accounts for getting subsidy on liquefied petroleum gas.
Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday suspended Congress member of Parliament Rajani Ashokrao Patil for the remainder of the current Budget Session for filming House proceedings.
Kejriwal said the eight MPs were fighting for the rights of farmers without worrying about heat, mosquitoes or other inconveniences and have spent the night protesting in the Parliament complex.
In a meeting with the President on behalf of these 18 non-National Democratic Alliance parties, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has requested the President to return the bills, and only give his assent after they have been passed after following proper rules and procedures.
CPM's Sitaram Yechury and BJP's Sushma Swaraj demanded a resolution on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Rajya Sabha.
Government on Tuesday faced an embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha when an amendment moved by the opposition to the President's Address over corruption and black money was passed.
But it may still pip the National Democratic Alliance at the post with the help of some neutral parties like Bahujan Samaj Party and independents
Even in Panchayat Raj regime prevailing in the country, the Zilla Parishads and Taluk Boards are often referred as local self governments, said Patil.
The vice president met Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram and Deputy Leader of the party in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, among others and discussed various points regarding the key tax reform legislation.
Pratibha Patil may thank Left parties, also, for getting this historical nomination because they rejected Shivraj Patil's name.
In a virtual disapproval of anti-Naxalite group Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that the Centre was not in favour of 'non-state actors' taking the job of law enforcement in their hands. "We are not in favour of non-state actors taking law enforcement in their hands," he said during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.
Chandrababu remarked that the whole nation was watching how each party was behaving.
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