With the three-day special sitting of Parliament on the constitution amendment bill related to the implementation of 33 percent reservation for women from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls set to begin on Thursday, a meeting of opposition parties is slated to be held on Wednesday at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the government has announced the start of the Monsoon session of Parliament 47 days before it is due in order to run away from the demand of the party and Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) for an immediate special session to discuss the Pahalgam attack and the Centre's failure to bring the terrorists to justice.
Top leaders of opposition parties including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national capital.
The Indian government and opposition parties are set for a showdown in Parliament over a Constitution amendment bill concerning the implementation of the women's quota law and the delimitation exercise. The Opposition is concerned about the potential impact of delimitation on the political representation of southern states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Israel is facing political complications as opposition leader Yair Lapid threatens to boycott his parliamentary address unless the Supreme Court chief is invited, adhering to standard protocol.
In a swift political counter-offensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners have announced a massive, nationwide protest campaign targeting the Opposition.
The government is planning a special Parliament session in mid January next year for the Lokpal Bill as the Bharatiya Janata Party has a majority in the Rajya Sabha, sources told rediff.com.
Stalin ignited protests against the proposed delimitation bill, branding it a 'black law' that threatens the rights and interests of the Tamil people, leading to widespread demonstrations across the state.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Monday alleged that the agenda of the upcoming special session of Parliament is to separate Mumbai from the state and declare it as a Union territory.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticises the Congress and its allies for the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent women's quota in legislative bodies before the 2029 Parliamentary polls.
The BJP and opposition parties are engaged in a political battle over the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, with the BJP defending it as historic and the opposition accusing the government of delaying its notification and using it to push an unconstitutional delimitation exercise.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who made "number 16" jibe at the treasury benches during his speech in Lok Sabha on Friday on three new bills, refused to elaborate on it in his brief interaction with reporters and said "it is a puzzle" and he "won't tell the answer just like that".
A Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and increasing Lok Sabha seats was defeated in Parliament, marking a setback for the government's efforts to empower women in politics.
Sources said MPs of the opposition alliance in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will meet to chalk out their joint strategy for the session from September 18 to 22.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Parliament is on the verge of creating 'new history' by amending the Women's Reservation Act this week, ensuring its implementation by 2029. He highlighted the unanimous passage of the law in 2023 and the collective demand for its early enforcement.
The Delhi High Court has granted one-week interim bail to jailed Lok Sabha member Sheikh Abdul Rashid to visit his ailing father, under strict conditions including police escort and restrictions on visitors.
Several opposition parties on Wednesday decided to jointly oppose the delimitation provisions in the Constitution amendment bill in Parliament, even as they reiterated support for women's reservation, with Mallikarjun Kharge alleging the move is politically motivated.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has claimed victory for the state after the Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha. Stalin criticised the Centre's handling of the Women's Reservation Bill and delimitation process, accusing the BJP of prioritising political gain over fairness and consultation.
The issues listed by Gandhi include Centre-state relations, rise in cases of communal tension, border transgressions by China and the demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to investigate the transactions of the Adani business group in light of several revelations.
A meeting of the floor leaders of all political parties has been convened on September 17, a day before the start of a five-day Parliament session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.
The BJP-led government in Bihar secured a vote of confidence in the state assembly, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary pledging economic development and significant investments. The motion was passed amidst heated debates and accusations between the ruling NDA and the opposition, highlighting political tensions and differing views on issues like women's reservation.
The winter session of Parliament is set to begin with the government prioritizing its reforms agenda, including a bill to open the civil nuclear sector to private players. The opposition is expected to raise concerns about electoral roll revisions and air pollution.
The government rejected the opposition's demands for discussions on the VB-G RAM G Act and the SIR in the Budget session of Parliament, stating that the issues had already been debated.
India's Parliament is set to begin its Budget session on Friday, with opposition parties poised to demand a discussion on the alleged mismanagement of the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, where 30 pilgrims died in a stampede. The opposition also accused the government of politicising parliamentary committees and pushing its agenda through its majority. The session will start with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both houses of Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Saturday for the eighth consecutive time.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused central forces of searching her car and criticised the BJP for alleged election misconduct during a rally in Islampur, Uttar Dinajpur district.
BJP leader Nitin Nabin accuses the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of altering West Bengal's demography by favouring infiltrators and neglecting the rights of the state's residents, promising to rectify the situation if the BJP comes to power.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated debate between the opposition and the government regarding a discussion on the West Asia crisis, with accusations of political maneuvering and failure to uphold the dignity of parliamentary positions.
The BJP's West Bengal unit chief, Samik Bhattacharya, criticised the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, accusing it of crushing democracy and fostering lawlessness in the state. He highlighted alleged political violence, economic decline, and disrespect for constitutional posts under the TMC's rule.
Sources said former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for early passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha during the upcoming session as the same has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
There was no official word on the agenda of the session which will be held days after the G20 Summit in the national capital on September 9 and 10.
Chaffing under public ridicule in the US as well as internationally for having 'lost' the war, Trump is under immense pressure to do something, cautions Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Direct talks between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, have failed to produce an agreement after 21 hours of negotiations, with disagreements over Iran's nuclear ambitions and sanctions proving insurmountable.
Terming the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government as 'anti-Dalit', the Bahujan Samaj Party on Friday demanded that a special session of Parliament should be called in August to clear the Bill for reservation in promotions for Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe employees.
Ahead of the Parliament session, the government will hold a meeting with leaders of all parties on Sunday to brief them and hear their views, amid an intense buzz on whether it will have some surprise item up its sleeve during the five-day sitting.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said, "A special Parliament session should be held. I am demanding this because I have been holding discussons with several prominent leaders since yesterday over the COVID-19 situation in various states. All the leaders accepted that the situation in their states is tense and is going out of control. Only pyres are burning everywhere. There is no space left in cemeteries. It's nothing but total chaos."
Delhi Police's Special Cell has issued a notice to Penguin Random House India regarding the alleged unauthorized circulation of former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane's unpublished book, 'Four Stars of Destiny'. The investigation follows reports of the manuscript being illegally disseminated before publication, leading to an FIR.
The Monsoon session of Parliament saw the passage of several key bills in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, despite repeated disruptions and adjournments.
The core issues to be settled -- access to Hormuz, Israel's aggression in Lebanon, the question of Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and compensation -- are thorny enough to require weeks of patient negotiation. The most likely outcome of the opening sessions is that both sides take the measure of each other, establish what is and is not negotiable, and return home without having broken anything. That would count as progress.
Penguin Random House India (PRHI) has clarified that it holds the exclusive publishing rights to General Manoj Mukund Naravane's memoir, 'Four Stars of Destiny,' amid reports of unauthorized copies circulating. The publisher emphasized that the book has not been officially released and warned against copyright infringement.
Opposition parties have agreed to the agenda of taking up a special discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on Monday in Lok Sabha and the next day in Rajya Sabha, brightening up the prospect of normalcy returning to Parliament after the virtual washout of first-week proceedings.
