The debate on the Rafale jet fighter deal saw a head-on collision between the government and the Congress in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
A day after making a strong pitch for her party being given the post of Leader of Opposition, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday held a meeting with party members of Parliament in Lok Sabha.
The winter session of Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Tuesday after passing 18 legislations, including amendment bills on amend coal mines allocation and labour laws, in 22 sittings.
Anguished by repeated protests and a Trinamool Congress member telling her that she was "not the Speaker of Narendra Modi", Sumitra Mahajan on Wednesday pulled up some members for their conduct, telling them bluntly that if they failed to maintain the dignity of the Chair, it is a "more serious matter".
Congress members created an uproar over a range of issues, including remarks made by certain Bharatiya Janata Party MPs against its leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and the revocation of suspension of six of its members.
The second half of the Budget session of Parliament began on Monday with the opposition aggressively demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology over intemperate comments made by Union minister Giriraj Singh.
As soon as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan took up the Question Hour, members from these parties trooped into the Well holding placards.
Belligerent Congress members trooped into the Well during the Question Hour and raised slogans, even as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan went ahead with the proceedings.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan feels the House can change the rules regarding recognising the Leader of Opposition in the absence of any party getting the minimum ten per cent of the total strength for the purpose.
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.
Polling in Indore, where the Congress is out of race after its candidate withdrew his nomination, is scheduled on May 13.
The swearing in of the new members will begin on Thursday and continue on Friday, when the Lok Sabha speaker will be elected. Rediff.com contributor Renu Mittal reports
Taking on the critics, Modi had said in the Lok Sabha, "I generally tell people 'ghee piyo'...but if Bhagwant Mann were to tell people, he will ask them to drink something else."
The Monsoon Session of the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday after 19 sittings that saw the passage of 14 legislation while Rajya Sabha came to an end after passing nine bills.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday remained non-committal on the issue of granting Leader of the Opposition status to Congress which does not have requisite numbers.
Opposition members on Thursday created ruckus in the Lok Sabha over the suicide of a farmer in New Delhi on Wednesday, leading to adjournment of proceedings even as the government said it was ready to discuss the matter.
"Priyanka is a good woman. But her appointment also shows Rahul has understood that he cannot do politics alone, so he asked his sister Priyanka to help him," Mahajan said.
The speaker had suspended 45 members last week for unruly behaviour.
The govt and the opposition are set for a showdown in Parliament's monsoon session.
In a five-page written reply to the nine-member committee led by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya, the Sangrur MP stated that he had made no mistake, while citing some of the earlier incidents to buttress his claims.
The list of the 314 MPs, however, does not include Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who is also a BJP MP, they said. The majority mark is 268.
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Confrontation between government and opposition is set to escalate with Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspending 25 Congress members for five days for "persistently, wilfully obstructing" the House".
The govt and the opposition appeared set for a showdown in Parliament's monsoon session.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday steered clear of the issue of grant of Leader of Opposition status in the House to the Congress despite the party appearing to raise the pitch for it.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she is not in favour of taking any decision in haste on the issue of nominating Leader of Opposition but has to take a call before the coming budget session.
Food items in Parliament canteen will be dearer from Friday, with the rates being hiked in varying degrees in view of controversies over the items being served there at subsidised rates.
"It is a historic day. We are making history today," Law Minister said.
The trend of disruption of Parliament proceedings over the demonetisation issue is likely to continue on Monday with the Opposition parties insisting on their demand for discussion with voting rule in Lok Sabha and an apology by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rajya Sabha.
The notices were submitted by the Congress over the Rafale deal.
A visibly upset Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till noon. It was not immediately clear whether the paper torn was picked from the table of the Secretary General.
The Congress demand for being accorded the status of Leader of Opposition to its group chief in Lok Sabha was on Tuesday rejected by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
A controversial bill which paves the way for the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh by merging some villages and mandals of Telangana with Seemandhra was approved in the Lok Sabha on Friday, amid stiff opposition from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Biju Janata Dal and some other parties.
Heated exchanges were witnessed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over the rising number of communal incidents.
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The 56-year-old leader is considered to be close to both Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
The president also pitched for simultaneous elections to Parliament and state assemblies, saying there was a need to discuss and build a consensus among all parties on the possibility of holding simultaneous polls.
Proceedings of the lower house are likely to be disrupted over suspension of 6 MPs by the speaker.
"I came in between" Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday, taking a dig at the leaders of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party who had formed a coalition to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party.
A day after the Supreme Court decided to interpret the provision of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Saturday said her denying LOP's post to Congress was based on rules and tradition and that the Apex court had made no observation against her.
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