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Both Houses of Parliament adjourned amid uproar over PNB fraud and special status to Andhra Pradesh

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Both Houses of Parliament adjourned amid uproar over PNB fraud and special status to Andhra Pradesh

Both Houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, were adjourned on Monday, March 5 soon after they met, on the first day after the recess for the second part of the Budget session of Parliament, amid Opposition protests over the Punjab National Bank fraud and special status to Andhra Pradesh.

The session got off to a stormy start, two days after the election results in the northeast were announced that saw the BJP triumphing in Tripura and improving its performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

The Lok Sabha was initially adjourned till 12 noon after the Opposition members continued protests over various issues, making it difficult for speaker Sumitra Mahajan to moderate the session. Soon after the House resumed, she  was forced to adjourn the House as Opposition leaders continued to create a ruckus over the Rs 12,703-crore scam involving the Punjab National Bank and jeweller Nirav Modi as well as MPs’ demand for a special package for Andhra Pradesh.

The Rajya Sabha was first adjourned till 11.20 am after a new member, Hishey Lachungpa from Sikkim, was sworn in, and Chairman Venkaiah Naidu read out obituary references for former members Narsingh Narayn Pandey and Faguni Ram. The Upper House reconvened to more ruckus, sloganeering and protesting MPs trooping into the Well with placards. Naidu then adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 2 pm.

When the House reconvened, Andhra Pradesh MPs resumed their protests for a Special Category status, MPs from Tamil Nadu demanded that the Centre sets up the Cauvery Management Board, and Congress members wanted to know where Nirav Modi is, The Hindu reported.

Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien said Naidu was ready to hold a discussion on bank fraud. While Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad supported discussing the matter, other members continued to storm the well, making him inaudible.

The House was soon adjourned for the day.

The first half of the Budget Session, which ended on February 9, was also marked by similar frequent adjournments after protests by leaders from Andhra Pradesh.

Congress Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma submitted an adjournment notice to discuss the alleged bank fraud. Two more notices have been issued on this matter. “We will demand answers from the government on the bank fraud scam. We will also demand answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the scam happened right under his watch,” NDTV quoted Anand Sharma as saying.

Bihar politician Pappu Yadav issued an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the alleged leak of a Staff Selection Committee question paper. Bharatiya Janata Party MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe issued a notice to discuss the allegations of corruption against relatives of former ministers.

Outside Parliament, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal responded to the Opposition’s offensive over the Punjab National Bank case, saying the scam “started during the time of the Congress”.

During this session, the government is hoping to counter the Opposition with its Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, which once passed will give it the power to attach the assets of offenders declared fugitives.

Among the other bills the government has listed are the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill and the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, the government has listed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill and the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill.

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Lok Sabha elections: INDIA bloc in Bihar seals seat-sharing deal, Congress get 9 seats, RJD 26

Purnea and Katihar, currently held by the Janata Dal (United), had emerged as the sticking point in seat-sharing talks between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

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The Opposition INDIA bloc sealed the seat-sharing deal in Bihar for 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Mahagathbandhan’s largest constituent, RJD will field its candidates from 26 seats, including Purnea and Hajipur, while the Congress will contest on nine seats, including Kishanganj and Patna Sahib. Meanwhile, the Left will fight on five seats.

Purnea and Katihar, currently held by the Janata Dal (United), had emerged as the sticking point in seat-sharing talks between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress for the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Reportedly, the Congress has been made to give up the Purnea Lok Sabha seat, which recent entrant Pappu Yadav, husband of Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan, was hoping to contest, mentioning that he had received assurance of Congress ticket from Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

The seat will be contested by RJD, which recently gave the party ticket to JD(U) turncoat Bima Bharti, but stopped short of announcing it formally. The INDIA bloc seat-sharing announcement comes a day after the filing of nomination papers for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls was over. The RJD has fielded its candidates in all four seats going to elections in the first phase.

Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav attended an INDIA bloc meeting regarding Bihar’s seat-sharing formula at Congress leader Mukul Wasnik’s residence and said that the RJD, the Congress and the Left will fight the Lok Sabha elections together in Bihar. He added that the INDIA bloc partners have agreed verbally on the seat-sharing arrangement and all the constituents are getting a respectable deal. Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks came amid reports of disquiet in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance in Bihar over seat sharing.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the National Democratic Alliance, including the BJP, JD(U) and LJP won 39 seats. The first phase of the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled for April 19.

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Tax terrorism has to stop, says Congress after Income Tax Department issues fresh Rs 1,700 crore notice

The Congress has accused the BJP of squeezing it financially and of using tax authorities against it ahead of Lok Sabha elections beginning April 19.

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Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the Congress’ financial woes worsened once again with the Income Tax Department issuing a fresh Rs 1,700 crore notice. The tax department issued the notice due to discrepancies in tax returns. 

The fresh notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21 and includes penalty and interest. This comes a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed the party’s petition challenging the tax notices. 

The opposition party is already facing a funds crunch after Income Tax authorities imposed a penalty of Rs 200 crore and froze its funds. Furthermore, the party has not received any relief from the High Court in the case and is likely to approach the Supreme Court. The Congress has accused the BJP of squeezing it financially and of using tax authorities against it ahead of Lok Sabha elections beginning April 19.

Addressing a press conference, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that the notices are being sent to cripple the party financially. Calling the action as tax terrorism, Jairam Ramesh said that this attack on Congress has to stop.

Earlier in February, the Income Tax department had found fault in the party’s tax returns and demanded Rs 200 crore. Subsequently, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) had asked the party to pay the dues and froze their accounts. The Congress stated the tax tribunal’s order freezing its funds was an attack on democracy as the order came just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal stated that this is a deliberate attempt by the Narendra Modi-led to bankrupt the Congress ahead of elections. He mentioned that the timing of the penalty notice, following the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of Congress petitions challenging tax reassessment proceedings, reeks of political vendetta.

He underlined that while political parties are typically exempt from taxes, this penalty is allegedly due to delayed filing of returns. He asserted that it is a blatant move by the Modi government to cripple the Congress financially, especially during the elections. He further asserted that in response to the notice, the Congress plans to stage a nationwide protest, condemning BJP’s exploitation of central agencies to target opposition parties. 

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Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, Tejashwi Yadav mourns demise of Mukhtar Ansari, demand probe

Akhilesh Yadav mentioned that such doubtful cases should be investigated under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.

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Mukhtar Ansari, gangster turned politician, who has been in jail since 2005, died due to cardiac arrest on Thursday. After Ansari’s death, his family alleged that the politician had been poisoned in the jail.  

Expressing sorrow, several opposition leaders demanded a probe into the death of Mukhtar Ansari. Notably, the gangster turned politician submitted an application in Barabanki court, alleging he was given some poisonous substance along with his food. He claimed that on March 19, his nerves and limbs started paining after he consumed the food.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav wrote on X that a few days ago Mukhtar Ansari complained that he had been poisoned in jail, yet it was not taken seriously. He added that prima facie the move does not seem justifiable and humane. He stated that constitutional institutions should take suo motu cognizance of such strange cases and incidents.

Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav said that the state is going through the worst phase of government anarchy. He added that it is the responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone’s life in every situation and at every place. 

The former Chief Minister added that the death of a hostage or prisoner while being confined in the police station, in a fight inside the jail, on falling ill inside the prison, while being taken to court, while being taken to hospital or during treatment in hospital will erode public confidence in the judicial process. He mentioned that such doubtful cases should be investigated under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. He claimed that the way the government bypasses the judicial process and adopts other methods is completely illegal. 

Taking to social media platform X, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati said that the persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansari’s family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the facts in his death can be revealed. 

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi said that the people of Ghazipur lost their favourite son and brother. He added that Mukhtar Ansari had made serious allegations against the administration that he was poisoned, but the government did not pay any attention to his treatment.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput stated that custodial deaths and firing in jail has become very common in Uttar Pradesh. He added that high level investigation should be conducted.

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