The purchase of a Rs 48.25 lakh swanky Jaguar XE as the new official car for Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has raised eyebrows with the opposition Congress on Friday asking her to reconsider using the luxury vehicle.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sumitra Mahajan will be the Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha with senior leaders from all parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, moving motions on Thursday proposing her name for the high office.
Sumitra Mahajan, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and one of the most experienced Parliamentarians, looks set to be the next Lok Sabha Speaker. According to sources, the 71-year-old leader from Madhya Pradesh has been sounded by party chief Rajnath Singh about the new assignment.
Eight-term member Sumitra Mahajan was on Friday unanimously elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha, becoming the second woman presiding officer of the Lower House after her predecessor Meira Kumar.
Irked by frequent disruptions from senior members, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday advised them to desist from it as they would present a bad example before the newly elected members of Parliament.
With strained government-opposition ties marring the functioning of previous Lok Sabha, new Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday said creating 'coordination' among parties will be her top priority and she will be 'gentle but firm' to ensure smooth proceedings.
Mahajan is the first woman MP to win a record eight consecutive elections. In 2014, she had defeated her nearest rival, Satyanarayan Patel of the Congress, by a staggering margin of 4,66,901 votes.
Mahajan, who turns 76 next week, said there had been speculations whether the party will field someone who has crossed the 75-year age bar.
Veteran doctor and educationist from Karnataka Belle Monappa Hegde and archaeology legend B B Lal were also given the Padma Vibhushan awards.
All the action on the third stting of the 16 Lok Sabha.
Bihar lawmaker and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav threw paper confetti at Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday.
Congress cornered Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, accusing her of 'bias' in the House.
Amid continuous disruptions by Opposition members, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has convened an all-party meeting on Thursday to discuss better functioning of the Lok Sabha, proceedings of which have been virtually washed out in the monsoon session so far.
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 speaker had suspended 45 members last week for unruly behaviour.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will deliver the farewell address
India will boycott a Commonwealth parliamentary union meeting in Islamabad next month in protest against Pakistan not inviting the Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir assembly, a decision that comes in the midst of tensions over two terror attacks in Punjab and the Valley.
The facility has been made available at 19 places in Parliament, including canteens for MPs and media as well as in the Central Hall.
Speaker refuses to adjourn Lok Sabha despite the ruckus, in the Rajya Sabha it was the same old story.
Unabated uproar by Congress members in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday invited the wrath of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who called their protests "murder of democracy" and "hijacking" the rights of 440 members by 40-50 others in the Opposition.
Proceedings of the lower house are likely to be disrupted over suspension of 6 MPs by the speaker.
Catch all the action from the Monsoon session of Parliament, LIVE
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday met President Pranab Mukherjee in the backdrop of the UPA pitching for Leader of Opposition status for her party in Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has said she will take a decision on the issue of Leader of Opposition within the next four days after going through the rules and Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi's letter on the matter.
The notices were submitted by the Congress over the Rafale deal.
Sangma was a nine-time member of Lok Sabha and the Speaker in the 11th Lok Sabha. He had also held important portfolios in the central government.
"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.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Monday amid protests by Opposition members, over the issue of Kerala CM Chandy being reportedly asked not to attend a function.
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.
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.
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".
With Congress raising the pitch on the issue of Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday said she was ready to discuss the issue with the party if approached.
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.
Watch all the the debates and proceedings.
In a sarcastic move, some BJP MPs on Tuesday offered roses to their Congress rivals in the Lok Sabha who were protesting inside the well over alleged atrocities against Dalit youths in Punjab.
The Lok Sabha on Monday felicitated badminton star Saina Nehwal and tennis player Sania Mirza.
Upping the ante on the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition issue, Congress and its allies on Monday said they will write to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan seeking an immediate decision in the matter.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has written to all MPs appealing to them to maintain discipline and decorum of the House and refrain from rushing to the well.
The govt and the opposition are set for a showdown in Parliament's monsoon session.
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.
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