The seven-hour-long debate on the Lokpal bill witnessed some interesting arguments and counter-arguments on Saturday in the Lok Sabha. Earlier, while initiating the debate, Mukherjee said that the nation was at a "cross-roads" in view of Hazare's campaign. He asked the Parliament to consider the Gandhian's three key demands within the Constitutional framework and by preserving Parliament's supremacy. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had a go at Rahul Gandhi.
Dismissing reports about the Bharatiya Janata Party relenting on their demand for prime minister's resignation, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj on Sunday asserted that the party would continue to seek Manmohan Singh's ouster in Parliament.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will lead a fourteen-member Parliament delegation to Sri Lanka on Monday to study the alleged human rights violation during the operations against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the north eastern province of the island nation.
Voicing concern over nearly 100 deaths in the course of the Amarnath Yatra, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded extension of the pilgrimage period and proper medical facilities and accommodation for the pilgrims.
Opposition parties on Sunday slammed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and demanded her resignation for "helping" scam-tainted former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will make a statement in Parliament on December 14 on the recent developments in India-Pakistan relations.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday visited Tihar jail to meet two former party members of Parliament and L K Advani's ex-aide Sudheendra Kulkarni, currently under judicial custody in the cash-for-votes case, to express solidarity with them.
There was more to him than he let on, asserts Aditi Phadnis.
Stung by his 'skeletons in cupboard' remark, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday stepped up attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the 2G issue alleging that he was aware of the minutest of details in the matter and will have to answer Opposition charges in Parliament.
"There is no dearth of talent in my ministry. I have the assistance of very able secretaries," she said in a curt tweet.
Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh on Tuesday put to rest speculations that he might rejoin the party saying "the roads are closed".
The WikiLeaks expose on the alleged 'cash-for-votes' scam in 2008 on Friday disrupted Parliament proceedings, as a united Opposition demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the matter. The cables published by WikiLeaks alleged that the United Progressive Alliance government had bribed MPs to win the 2008 trust vote after the Left parties withdrew support on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
'This is how Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar treated the Leader of Opposition,' Swaraj tweeted.
Swaraj, while Information and Broadcasting minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had set aside Rs 2 crore to be given to journalists suffering from illnesses. She alleged that if Sahay had got proper medical attention, he would have been living. Sahay passed away after a one-and-a-half month long illness.
BJP Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj, who addressed reporters after an NDA meeting, said the boycott will continue till the time the "opposition is allowed to raise its voice on issues like corruption."
With the Winter Session of Parliament less than a week away, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday gave notices to the Lok Sabha Speaker for discussion on the politically-sensitive issues of price rise, black money and the demand for formation of Telangana state.
Pak FM Qureshi informed Parliament that he requested the OIC to either rescind the invitation or postpone the session in view of the prevailing situation, neither of which was done.
Vice President M Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani and several other leaders offered floral tributes to the martyrs at a solemn ceremony on Tuesday morning
The Congress on Tuesday sought to make more trouble for the government on Lalitgate issue, putting forth six demands including making public minutes of a meeting it claimed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had with United Kingdom High Commissioner James Bevan in which she had favoured grant of travel documents to Lalit Modi.
Swaraj also said that she is in constant touch with Indian high commission.
Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs of December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on Parliament.
Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were disrupted on Monday as opposition Bharatiya Janata Party alleged misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation by the government to meet "narrow political gains".
The Opposition National Democratic Alliance and the Third Front continued to disrupt proceedings in Parliament over the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement leading to adjournment of both Houses till 1600 hours.
Making a strong attack against Narendra Modi, whom he termed a "megalomaniac psychopath liar", Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday stoked a fresh controversy saying why can the Bharatiya Janata Party not field a "better leader" like Sushma Swaraj as its prime ministerial candidate.
External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Saturday defended herself against allegations of helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi saying she never requested or recommended travel documents for him.
The NDA will raise its apprehensions in both Houses about the possibility of Shibu Soren government nominating an Anglo-Indian before the March 15 trial of strength in the Jharkhand Assembly, BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj said.
Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Sushma Swaraj indicated that the NDA would stall proceedings in the Budget session in the Parliament on the issue.
Should Bhagavad Gita be the national book?
The decision to disrupt the House would be taken on a day to day basis, says Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad
Important legislations like the Goods and Service Tax Bill, Land Acquisition bill, the Real Estate Regulation and Development Bill and Negotiable Instruments Arbitration Bill will be taken up.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue Govindacharya said that Sushma Swaraj and Vasundhara Raje should quit on moral grounds in the wake of the Lalit Modi controversy as from common man's perception they are "guilty".
Deputy leader of BJP in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu in the Rajya Sabha raised the issue in Zero Hour saying the government should bring a bill in right earnest.
However, BJP has not given any assurance of support and conveyed to the Finance Minister that the matter will be discussed within the party and take a call, sources said.
Congress MPs Ambika Soni, Pratap Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo said they would move a motion against Swaraj in the Upper House after compiling documents and information on the issue.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his party will allow Parliament to function only after External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj discloses her family's financial transactions with Lalit Modi.
'NPT waiver is like being allowed in the verandah. NSG membership is like being in the room... being part of rule making.'
An end to the ongoing logjam in Parliament on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment in retail on Wednesday appeared in sight, with the government giving enough hints that it has no problem over a vote on the issue. In an effort to break the impasse, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, along with his deputy Rajiv Shukla, held a meeting with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley.
A senior Congressman from South India told Rediff.com, "This is a big setback for Rahul Gandhi's strategy of stalling Parliament. Sushma has not resigned and Khargeji is speaking and debating. What does it say about our stand in this session?"
"The minister told us that she would meet the CMs of the four states from where the Indians belonged to take a decision on possibility of providing a government job to the next of kin."
After much debate and opposition by one-time godmother and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, B Sriramulu will now fight on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from the Bellary parliamentary constituency.
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