Presenting a brave face after signing the 18th Constitutional Amendment bill into law, which would subsequently clip his key powers, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said democracy is his strength and that he is not 'powerless.'
Attorney General K K Venugopal told a bench headed by Justice Bobde that the Constitution (103 amendment) Act, 2019 granting 10 per cent reservation to EWS is intended to uplift around 200 million people who are still below the poverty line.
Pakistan has reserved four seats for minorities in its Senate whose strength will climb to 104 from 100 under the landmark Constitutional reforms package, a move lauded as "people-friendly" by the community which so far had no representation in the upper house of Parliament.
The opposition will seek to target the government on the issue of farmers' plight as well as their demand for a legal backing for minimum support price.
'Has the Supreme Court ever said that the Preamble is the basic structure of the Constitution?'
'Why is the RSS trying to destroy the indigenous culture of Assam and its language?' 'If these migrants settle in Assam, they will overwhelm the 47 per cent of people who speak Assamese.'
One woman president or one woman chief minister does not make or prove the point that women are treated equally, but 33 per cent women in elected bodies do constitute a critical mass to make a difference, writes Additional Solicitor General of India Indira Jaising.
The session will have 20 working days for now.
The government has moved to increase the strength of the joint committee of Parliament that will scrutinise the two bills proposing simultaneous elections from 31 MPs to 39, giving representation to more parties.
Stalin, moving the resolution, said without giving any reasons, Ravi had returned the Bills, mentioning "I withhold Assent" to them.
'To treat a Hindu fleeing persecution and certain death in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan on par with a Muslim voluntarily sneaking into India for economic reasons or otherwise is callously cruel, blatantly perverse and grossly unjust.' 'The concept of equality cannot be invoked to perpetuate a historical wrong that needs to be righted,' argues Vivek Gumaste.
Jaitley's concerns are unlikely to cut much ice with the Congress.
The opposition on Tuesday termed as an 'election jumla' the women's reservation bill brought by the government with many leaders raising questions over the proposed legislation, contending it doesn't account for reservation for OBC communities and that it will be effective at the earliest by the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the biggest tax reform since Independence.
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.
He, however, acknowledged that manufacturing states will suffer losses but said they will be compensated
The PM will them clarify his statements, sources said.
Work has to be done on a war footing from now to implement the GST regime.
Team Anna met the members of the Standing Committee of Parliament headed by Abhishek Singvi on Friday to discuss the Jan Lokpal Bill and pressed for as many as 34 fresh additions to the proposed Lokpal Bill that have already been incorporated in the Uttarakhand Lokayukata Bill. They renewed their demand that constitutional amendments bringing violation of citizens' charter and conduct of legislators in Parliament within the purview of the Lokpal also be introduced.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 per cent reservation to economically weaker sections (EWS) persons in admissions and government jobs.
With the Constitution Amendment Bill on Lokpal failing in Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday night demanded resignation of the UPA government on moral grounds.
A bill which seeks to increase the retirement age of high court judges will have to wait for passage in the Lok Sabha, at least till the second part of the Budget session which begins in the last week of April.
Unless Governor Ravi or the Union of India moves in appeal, seeking a hearing by a constitutional Bench, this is where it all will have to end, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Scholars and students have cautioned that the proposed divisive and discriminatory changes would harm the country.
Government strategists are trying to ensure that the requisite 16 of the 31 states ratify the Bill by the end of this month
The Gujarat government on Monday withdrew the controversial Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill of 2006, which the governor had returned to the Legislative Assembly for reconsideration in August 2007. Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma in his message, read out in the assembly by Speaker Ashok Bhatt while returning the Bill, said he found it to be violative of the Article 25 (A) of the Constitution.
Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill-2021 to club seven castes in poll-bound Tamil Nadu under one nomenclature of Devendrakula Vellalars.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is meeting state finance ministers on Thursday to garner support for the Constitution Amendment Bill for a goods & services tax (GST), is likely to immediately dole out about Rs 13,000 crore (Rs 130 billion) in Central Sales Tax (CST) compensation to states.
The bill also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday defended her party's decision to abstain from voting on the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but said she was in favour of the constitutional amendment.
Vice Chairman Harivansh regretted that 78 hours of business were lost due to disruptions and that the House functioned for only 27 hours.
The Supreme Court, by a majority view of 3:2, upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitution amendment providing 10 per cent reservation to people belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) in admissions and government jobs.
'We have been threatened. We have felt violated.' 'Everything is in danger if you don't give safe spaces to women.'
Sushmita Dev said it would have been better if there were more women MPs in the panel.
Controversial Samajwadi Party member Yashvir Singh on Thursday sought to bring down the curtain on the issue of snatching a copy of the quota bill in the Lok Sabha from Minister V Narayanasamy by expressing regret.
Might use it to counter Opposition campaign on land issue.
In the afternoon, the home minister will introduce the Bill to amend the six-decade-old Citizenship Act and later in the day, it will be taken up for discussion and passage, according to the Lok Sabha's List of Business for Monday.
One's religious faith is a private affair, and the government had no business to make laws on it, the Congress said.
Its passage in the Lok Sabha is all but certain due to the massive majority the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies have, and the Union government is confident of its passage in the Rajya Sabha as well with the support of several non-aligned regional parties which have often joined the treasury benches in the past.
