Tag: Rajya Sabha

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Sonia Gandhi Elected Unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Sonia has been representing Rae Bareli in the Lower House since her initial election as an MP in 2004, maintaining the Congress stronghold….reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Earlier on February 14, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra congratulated Sonia Gandhi and said, “Congratulations to respected Sonia Gandhi ji on being elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan and best wishes for a bright tenure.”

“We have full confidence that your extensive parliamentary experience, excellent work efficiency, and unlimited decency will make the Upper House proud and the dignity of Rajasthan will increase and the issues of the people of the state will be raised,” he posted on X on Tuesday.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had represented the seat since 2004 informed voters of Rae Bareli that she would not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age issues.

Saying that she would not seek a fresh term in the Lower House from the Congress stronghold in the upcoming polls, Sonia wrote on February 15, “My family in Delhi is incomplete without you. It becomes complete after visiting Rae Bareli–meeting you all. This relationship is very old and deep, which I have received from my in-laws’ house as fortune.”

Expanding on the ‘relationship’ that the Gandhi family shares with the people of Rae Bareli, the veteran Congress leader stated further, “In the first Lok Sabha polls after independence, you elected my father-in-law, Firoze Gandhi, and sent him to Delhi as your representative. Later, you elected my mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, as your representative. With so many ups and downs, this relationship of ours continued to be on the path of love and excitement. And our dedication towards it gradually strengthened.”

Sonia was elected as an MP from Rae Bareli for the first time in 2004. Since then, the Congress leader has been representing the Congress stronghold in the Lower House.

The current chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party served as the party’s national president for almost 22 years, between 1998 and 2022, and is a five-time Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli.

The move to file nominations for Rajya Sabha comes ahead of Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year.

There are 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Rajasthan. In the upcoming biennial elections, three seats in the State are up for grabs. The ruling BJP is set to get two of the seats, while the Opposition Congress will get one, on the basis of their respective strengths in the State Assembly.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was last elected to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, is retiring in April this year. The term of Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav will come to an end this April. Besides one Rajya Sabha seat in the State has become vacant after the resignation of the BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena. (ANI)

BJP Sweeps All 4 RS Seats in Gujarat

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured all four vacant Rajya Sabha seats unopposed on Tuesday in Gujarat.

BJP President Nadda, diamond magnate Govind Dholakia, Jasvantsinh Parmar and Mayank Nayak were elected unopposed in their bid for the Rajya Sabha.

Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has 26 Lok Sabha seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won all the 26 seats for the second consecutive time.

Meanwhile, J.P. Nadda will remain as the BJP National President till June this year, party sources said.

Last year, the decision taken in the party’s National Executive meeting to extend Nadda’s tenure was also approved in the National Council meeting held on Sunday.

Last year, the party had decided to extend the tenure of Nadda till June this year in view of Lok Sabha elections.

Following the decision of the party’s Parliamentary Board, in the BJP National Executive meeting held in Delhi in January 2023, the proposal to extend the presidential tenure of JP Nadda till June 2024 in view of the Lok Sabha elections was approved, in the party’s National Council meeting.

The BJP National President has also been authorised to take many major decisions in the meeting, which can later be approved by the party’s Parliamentary Board.

BJP National General Secretary Sunil Bansal presented a proposal to amend some provisions of the party’s constitution on the second and last day of the national convention meeting, which was unanimously accepted.

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India News Politics

Rajya Sabha passes Bill to repeal 76 obsolete laws

Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after passing Inland Vessels Bill 2021. (Credit RSTV)

Besides repealing 76 obsolete laws, the Bill seeks to correct a minor drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011…reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill to repeal 76 laws that are obsolete or that have been made redundant by other laws.

The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, was passed through voice vote in the Upper House after a short debate with the participation of eight legislators in the discussion, as almost the entire Opposition walked out of the House on the issue of security breaches in the Lok Sabha.

Besides repealing 76 obsolete laws, the Bill seeks to correct a minor drafting error in the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.

First Schedule of the Bill lists 24 laws that would be repealed. Of these, 16 are amending Acts, and two are from before 1947. The Second Schedule of the Bill lists 41 Appropriation Acts that would be repealed. These include 18 Appropriation Acts for the Railways. These Acts span the years from 2013 to 2017.

Responding to the debate, Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said 76 laws that had been obsolete are being repealed through the Bill as this is the procedure to repeal any Bill.

The Minister said that eight MPs took part in the debate and pointed out that the government has to come up with a Bill to repeal obsolete laws as they cannot die naturally like human beings. (ANI)

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India News

Shah Moves J-K Bills in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Union Home Minister speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Sansad TV)

Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the J-K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill were passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

As the Parliament convenes on Day 4 of the ongoing Winter Session on Thursday Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the two bills the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha for consideration and passage.

The two bills were earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The House saw a marathon debate over two days and passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill,2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill,2023.

“The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation(Amendment) Bill, 2023, Amit Shah to move the Bill further to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration. Also to move that the Bill be passed,” the Legislative agenda released by the Rajya Sabha read.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 26, 2023. It amends the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act of 2004.

The Act provides for reservation in jobs and admission in professional institutions to members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other socially and educationally backward classes.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

The Act amended the Second Schedule of the 1950 Act to specify the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly. The proposed Bill increases the total number of assembly seats and reserves seven seats for Scheduled Castes and nine seats for Scheduled Tribes.

Meanwhile, a short-duration discussion on the “Economic Situation in the country will continue on day 4 of the Rajya Sabha.

“Further discussion on the “Economic Situation in the country” raised by Derek O’ Brien on 5th December 2023,” the legislative agenda read.

Earlier during a short-duration discussion on the ‘Economic situation in the country’ in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said, “If India is growing at the fastest rate in the world, then why is the impact of the growth not felt on the ground? We are a large economy, we are growing at the fastest rate in the world & we have the largest FDI coming in, but why is it not seen on the ground? I specifically want to ask why is it not seen in the inflation and unemployment numbers?”

Taking part in the debate, the BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi weighed in on India’s growth rate on the state of the national economy amid the prevailing global challenges in the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and said that the country’s robust GDP numbers reflect the “growth rate of Hindutva”.

In a veiled dig at the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre, Trivedi said the Indian economy was striving to go beyond 2 per cent, which was jokingly labelled as the “Hindu rate of growth”.

Also, BJP MPs Anil Jain and Neeraj Shekhar are likely to present the 249th and 250th reports (in English and Hindi) of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in the Rajya Sabha, agenda said. The Winter Session began on December 4 and will culminate on December 22. (ANI)

Home Minister Blames Nehru For PoK

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday came down heavily on India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and alleged that he committed “two major blunders” — declaring a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir and taking the issue to the United Nations, due to which the people of Jammu and Kashmir had to suffer for years.

While speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, Shah said if Nehru had taken the right steps, a large chunk of territory would not have been ceded and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) would have been part of India.

Taking a jibe at Nehru, Shah said, “I support the word that was used here — Nehruvian blunder. Because of the blunder that was committed during the time of Nehru, Kashmir had to suffer. With responsibility, I want to say that the two big blunders that happened during the tenure of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, happened due to his decisions, because of which Kashmir had to suffer for years.”

Shah said: “Two mistakes that happened due to the decision of (former PM) Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru due to which Kashmir had to suffer for many years.”

“The first is to declare a ceasefire – when our army was winning, the ceasefire was imposed. If there had been a ceasefire after three days, PoK would have been a part of India today… The second is to take our internal issue to the UN,” the minister said.

Following the mention of Nehru, the Congress members staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha, but returned later.

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Films India News Politics

Rajya Sabha passes Bill to curb film piracy

Saudi Film commission's 40% cash rebate to boost film production(IANSLIFE)

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote in the absence of opposition parties who had earlier staged a walkout….reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill to curb the menace of film piracy, revamp age-based certification given by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as well as uniformity in the categorisation of films and content across platforms.

Speaking on the Bill, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said the Bill has been brought to get relief from the loss of Rs 20,000 crore to piracy. “Piracy is like cancer and we are trying to uproot it through this Bill,” Thakur said in support of the Bill, which has provisions to curb transmission of pirated film content on the internet as well as to classify films on the basis of age group, instead of the current practice of ‘U’, ‘A’, and ‘UA’.

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 was passed in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote in the absence of opposition parties who had earlier staged a walkout.

“U” is for unrestricted public exhibition and “A” is restricted to adult audiences, while “UA” is for unrestricted public exhibition subject to parental guidance for children below the age of 12 and “S” for special category audiences such as doctors and scientists.

The Bill seeks amendment to the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The amendments will address the issue of unauthorised recording and exhibition of films.

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on July 20. The draft Act constitutes the Board of Film Certification for certifying films for exhibition.  Such certifications may be subject to modifications and deletions. The Board may also refuse the exhibition of films.

The Bill adds certain additional certificate categories based on age. Under the Act, the film may be certified for exhibition without restriction (‘U’); without restriction, but subject to the guidance of parents or guardians for children below 12 years of age (‘UA’); only to adults (‘A’); or only to members of any profession or class of persons (‘S’).

The Bill substitutes the UA category with the following three categories to also indicate age-appropriateness UA 7+, UA 13+, or UA 16+.  The age endorsement within the UA category by the Board will inform guidance of parents or guardians, and will not be enforceable by any other persons other than parents or guardians.

Films with an ‘A’ or ‘S’ certificate will require a separate certificate for exhibition on television, or any other media prescribed by the central government. The Board may direct the applicant to carry appropriate deletions or modifications for the separate certificate.

The Bill prohibits carrying out or abetting the unauthorised recording and unauthorised exhibition of films.  Attempting an unauthorised recording will also be an offence.

An unauthorised recording means making or transmitting an infringing copy of a film at a licensed place for a film exhibition without the owner’s authorisation.  An unauthorised exhibition means the public exhibition of an infringing copy of the film for profit at a location not licensed to exhibit films or in a manner that infringes upon the copyright law.

Certain exemptions under the Copyright Act, 1957 will also apply to the above offences.  The 1957 Act allows limited use of copyrighted content without the owner’s authorisation in specified cases such as private or personal use, reporting of current affairs, or review or critique of that work.

The offences will be punishable with imprisonment between three months and three years, and a fine between three lakh rupees and 5 per cent of the audited gross production cost.

Under the Act, the certificate issued by the Board is valid for 10 years. The Bill provides that the certificates will be perpetually valid.

The Act empowers the central government to examine and make orders in relation to films that have been certified or are pending certification. The Board is required to dispose of matters in conformance with the order. The Bill removes this power of the central government. (ANI)

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-Top News India News

Modi slams Congress in Rajya Sabha

While praising the NCP supremo, the Prime Minister tried to divide the Opposition and isolate the Congress as the former is part of the government in Maharashtra, reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday came down heavily on the Congress saying that it could never think beyond its “dynasty”, while praising NCP leader Sharad Pawar and TMC for attending the all-party meeting on Covid-19.

Replying to motion of thanks on President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, PM Modi said that during the all-party meet convened to review the Covid pandemic situation, the NCP and TMC turned up but not the Congress.

Modi went to say that he wants to express his “gratitude” to Sharad Pawar who attended the meeting despite the Congress boycotting it.

While praising the NCP supremo, the Prime Minister tried to divide the Opposition and isolate the Congress as the former is part of the government in Maharashtra.

Without taking names, he said that some people need introspection as doing politics during the pandemic and trying to convince others to skip the meeting is incorrect.

He said that the problem with the Congress is they cannot think beyond the dynasty.

“It has to be accepted that biggest threat to democracy of the country is the dynastic parties and when a family is the considered supreme in any party, then the talent is the first casuality.” he said.

On Monday too, Modi had attacked the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi stating that the party had not lost its arrogance despite being out of power for so long.

Seems the Congress has decided not to come back to power for 100 years, and he too is prepared for it, he quipped.

“If you had had feet on the ground, then you would have seen it. But most of you are stuck in 2014. You are facing the result. You give a lot of advice but forget that you too have had the opportunity to sit here (on the treasury benches) for 50 years,” Modi said and went on to list the states that have not voted for Congress for the last 25 years onwards.

People of Nagaland have not voted for Congress since 1998, that is 24 years. People of Odisha have not voted since 1995, 27 years; people of Goa has not voted for Congress since 1994, that is 28 years; Tripura since 1988, 34 years; Uttar Pradesh since 1985, 37 years; West Bengal since 1972, almost 50 years ago; Tamil Nadu last voted for Congress in 1962, almost 60 years before, he said.

“You take the credit for the formation for Telangana, but after that people there have not voted for you. Same in case of Jharkhand,” the PM added.

Dares Cong to change ‘national’ to ‘federal’ in INC

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday continued his tirade against Congress in the Parliament, reiterating his oft repeated point of how dynastic parties are the biggest threat to democracy and suggested the grand old party to change its middle name from ‘national’ to ‘federal’.

PM Modi was speaking in the Rajya Sabha in reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech and continued his barbs against Congress as he had done on Monday in the Lok Sabha.

After stating how Congress had doubted the country’s ability to deliver on vaccination for all, welfare measures for the poor by his government etc, Modi said in a direct attack on Congress how one can never learn lessons in a democracy from “those who trampled over democracy in 1975.”

“When one family prevails over others in a political party, it is the political talent that suffers. Dynastic politics is the biggest threat to our democracy. I would suggest all parties, especially starting with Congress, to let go of dynastic politics,” Modi said.

Recalling remarks by Congress leaders, Modi said some members asked, if there was no Congress, what would happen? and went on a longish tirade: “I would like to state, if there was no Congress, there would have been no Emergency. If there was no Congress, there would have been no caste politics. If there had been no Congress, there would have been no Sikh massacre. If there was no Congress, Kashmiri Pundits would not have been thrown out of their homes.”

Modi took on the word ‘federalism’ as mentioned by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his speech in the Parliament and said, “People talk of federalism, but they have forgotten, when Congress was in power, they did not allow India’s development. Now when they are in opposition, they are obstructing development.”

Continuing with the pronoun ‘they’ (Woh in Hindi as the Prime Minister spoke in Hindi) without taking any particular person’s name, Modi said, “Now they are objecting to the idea of nation. If they find the very idea of ‘nation’ as unconstitutional, why is their party called Indian National Congress? Why not change ‘national’ to ‘federal’?”

Earlier on Monday in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi had launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party stating that the party had not lost its arrogance even when it had been out of power for so long. He also said that Congress seems to have decided to not come back to power for 100 years, and he too is prepared for it.

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