Parliament debate gets its steam ....BJP believes "uniformity is unity", says Congress :::: Oppn bloc is a cricket team with 11 captains, counters saffron party

Initiating the debate in Lok Sabha on Motion of Thanks to President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, Heena Gavit (BJP) said, "INDI alliance bloc are like Big Boss participants who live under one roof but everyone eyes the trophy of becoming the Prime Minister". 

Another BJP  lawmaker Rajendra Agarwal said, "Congress has not only contributed to corruption but also appeasement politics and created divisions in the society". 

Congress fielded articulate speakers such as Gaurav Gogoi from Assam and Karti Chidambaram from Tamil Nadu. "When we raise questions on China entering territory, they try to divert the attention by saying we are more powerful than Maldives". 

Karti Chidambaram said, the ruling BJP seems to believe that "uniformity is unity....and now they (the Govt) even believes one language, one religion and even one God" will work for India.  Young BJP lawmaker Tejaswi Surya from Karnataka said, it was the Congress which imposed Hindi in the country and only after introduction of the New Education Policy by the Modi government that the "higher education in local (vernacular) language is being encouraged.  

In Rajya Sabha, the leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, led the charge in attacking the government. He said PM Narendra Modi should have spoken and condemned when those who had assaulted Bilkis Bano were garlanded and welcomed in Gujarat.  He said developments in Jharkhand and Bihar would be smooth if someone joined the BJP.

He also alleged that there was a decrease of 45,696 employed people (staffers) in the number of officers belonging to OBCs in public sector banks and insurance companies.

DMK floor leader T R Baalu in Lok Sabha raised the pressing issue of continuous conflicts between Chief Ministers and Governors of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in particular.  

 

Pillar reflectons: Blogger 

Row over Congress MP's remarks: Any challenge ... to the sovereignty of the country has to be resisted, asserts Rajya Sabha chairman Dhankhar

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman demand apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for MP D K Suresh's remarks on 'separate country' demand for South India. 

Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Goyal said, "...140 crore people are outraged".

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is chairman of Rajya Sabha, says, "Any challenge ... to the sovereignty of the country has to be resisted".

Earlier, Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in Upper House, Mallikarjun Kharge asserted, "From Kanyakumari to Kashmir ...hum ek hae".

"...If anyone speaks about breaking the country, we will never tolerate it - irrespective of whichever party they belong to. Mallikarjun Kharge will himself, that ie me, will say that from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, we are one and we will be one...".  

Goyal's contention that a sitting MP (D K Suresh) talking about dividing a country is serious, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, instead of addressing this issue, one Congress MP was raising the technicalities of political crisis in Jharkhand wherein former CM Hemant Soren was arrested by ED. 

Congress MP K. Keshava Rao had raised the Jharkhand matter and wanted to know the reasons behind delay in swearing in of a new administration in the state. 

Nirmala Sitharaman said, it is regrettable that the LoP (Kharge) and other Congress MPs have "chosen to walkout on a matter...which is about dividing this country by a member of their own party, a sitting member in Lok Sabha on a issue like this". 

Ms Sitharaman said, "The fact remains he represents the same party.... (that is Congress). My concern is a major issue of a separatist language by a member of Lok Sabha and instead of outright condemning it; we are being lectured on technicalities".  "This is diversionary...," she said.

Presiding officer, Dhankar said, "Honourable members, I have no doubt we represent 1.4 crore billion people. And it is our constitutional obligation. Any challenge and ... no one should disagree to that, any challenge to the sovereignty and integrity of this nation has to be resisted with full mite of every institution and this House is seized of the matter".     

 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi raised the issue of Congress MP DK Suresh's remarks in Lok Sabha.

He says, "...I demand an apology and action from Sonia Gandhi. This is a violation of his oath (as an MP)...I urge that the matter be sent to the Ethics Committee...Congress should take action. If they don't the country will believe that you too are involved in 'tukde tukde' of the country...",

Uniform Civil Code draft submitted to Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami by the five-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.  

The UCC will provide a legal framework for a uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens irrespective of their religion in the state.

On Lok Sabha elections, 

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav says, "This election is to save the Constitution. There should be no delay in the selection of candidates now so that they get time to prepare, fight strongly and win against the BJP."