Government likely to push National Sports Governance Bill
LIVE
Parliament monsoon session LIVE updates | Government likely to push National Sports Governance Bill
Except for a two-day discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, parliamentary proceedings have largely stalled since the Monsoon Session began on July 21.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi: ‘Why Govt can't debate SIR? What is more important than citizens' voting rights?'
Amid the continuing standoff in Parliament between the government and the Opposition over the Election Commission (EC)'s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the Congress party's Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi, 38, speaks to The Indian Express over the logjam and the Opposition's demand, among other issues. Excerpts: * For the last few days, the Congress has been alleging that the CISF personnel have been present in the Rajya Sabha. What is the issue? Parliament has always had its own security, which has been monitored by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. It has been a year since the security arrangements were changed in Parliament, and the security was handed over to the CISF. Giving security outside (the House) to the CISF is understandable. But inside the House, if the CISF dictates how members act, then it is a first in a parliamentary democracy and is shameful. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (Mallikarjun Kharge) has written to the Deputy Chairman, saying that when members protest and try to enter the Well (of the House) and the way the CISF jawans stop them, it is shameful. * When did the Opposition members notice this change in security apparatus? We have been seeing it for a while now. But the way the marshals reach the Well of the House, it seems like it is an anti-terrorist or anti-bomb squad. They create a circle and stop members from entering the Well… How can they bring CISF personnel to the House? We will protest this. * J P Nadda, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, said that Opposition members are creating anarchy in the House. What is your response? J P Nadda should hear speeches by the Leaders of Opposition in the past, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, who were from his party. They had said that if someone creates disruptions in the House, then it is a part of the democratic norms. This is not a school where the Chairman will act like a principal and the Leader of the House will act like a class monitor. In a parliamentary democracy, both sides – Treasury and Opposition – have equal roles… On Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar's last day in the House, Nadda said nothing will go on record. That is not his prerogative. * During the Monsoon Session, we have seen most days being washed out except the discussion on Operation Sindoor. The government and the Opposition are blaming each other for the impasse. When will this end? It is the government's responsibility to run the House. The government doesn't give importance to the meetings of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC). You don't listen to the Opposition. From day one, we have been protesting against the SIR. Why can't they hold a discussion on the issue? It is related to the voting rights of citizens, and what is more important than that? The Parliament session is not just for passing Bills, the House is meant for discussion and debate… When you want to get Bills passed, you do it by suspending members. * If the government doesn't agree for a discussion on the SIR, will the remainder of the session also be washed out? You should ask the government why they won't agree to a debate on the SIR. What is wrong with a discussion? What option does the Opposition have other than protests? I ask this from every intellectual in the country. Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
Hans India
25 minutes ago
- Hans India
NDA passes resolution praising PM for Op Sindoor
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated by the NDA Parliamentary Party on Tuesday for his government's firm response to the Pahalgam terror attack under Operation Sindoor. In his speech, Modi noted that August 5 was a historic day as Article 370, which gave special rights to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on this day. The NDA government has followed the Constitution in its true spirit, he added. The Prime Minister also praised Home Minister Amit Shah and noted that he has become the longest-serving incumbent in the Ministry, sources said. In a swipe at the Opposition, he said it must be wondering if it erred by seeking a debate on Operation Sindoor. A resolution was passed praising Modi's leadership and the armed forces' "unmatched courage and unwavering commitment" during Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev. Three senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders were killed in a July 28 encounter code-named 'Operation Mahadev' on the outskirts of Srinagar. The MPs of the BJP-led ruling alliance met here in their only second such meeting during Parliament's sessions since the government was formed in June 2024. Amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', senior leaders of the BJP and its allies joined in felicitating Modi. The government has asserted that it military attack on terror sites in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 brought the neighbouring country to its knees.
Hans India
25 minutes ago
- Hans India
People around Pahalgam decry Modi's unrealistic rhetoric about ground-realities
Blessed with picturesque splendour and nature's bountiful, exotic flowers and fruits, mountain ranges, green meadows and mesmerizing blue river waters, Jammu and Kashmir is a gift to India. For the first time, I had the opportunity of visiting the spectacular Srinagar, while on our way to Pahalgam. Police vigilance and checking after every furlong caused dismay to our team members, especially because the military personnel posted there kept asking us about who we were and for what purpose we were in the sensitive area. It is ironic that while around one crore people live in Kashmir, approximately seven lakh military personnel of various ranks are being posted for vigilance and to fight terrorists and invaders. Strangely, at first look it appears like the State is under military rule and is not being run by a democratically elected government. The moot point is what has led to such a sorry situation in the first place. Kashmiris still do not trust the Indian government. There have been many attempts to stamp the people of Kashmir as terrorists. Is it the real scene out there or are there any political reasons or a hidden agenda behind this escapist act? During the Sheik Abdullah's regime land reforms were implemented with the slogan 'Land to the tiller'. As part of the exercise, land was seized without giving compensation and distributed to the people. As and when governments changed, the new government did not implement land reforms but enacted new laws that put a halt to land reforms. Every family has land on which they cultivate paddy, apples and lichee fruits, among others. We cannot see poverty there. When there is such a prosperous situation, one wonders why this anarchism. Politics of the post-independence period have given life and employment to people. But the people of Kashmir have lost confidence in the union government, whose leaders with their lust for power committed unpardonable mistakes. A most damaging fallout has been that terrorists t0ok advantage of the situation and turned more menacing. Pakistan seized the opportunity and abetted the terrorists based in the valley, while the people of Kashmir were left aghast at the Centre's inept administration. Meanwhile, I, accompanied by other national secretaries of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Ramakrishna Panda and Azeez Pasha, paid a visit to Pahalgam. We found a police camp after every furlong. There were an estimated seven lakh personnel drawn from either the police or military forces. jawans. We wished to visit Operation Sindoor spot but all roads leading to that area were closed. With great difficulty we reached Pahalgam, where we could chit chat with petty retail merchants and horse-riding helpers. Incidentally, their narrations implied that the situation was far better than what is projected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric. Following the Pahalgam massacre the compensation paid to the kin of the 22 tourists, who were killed, was peanuts. The locals living in the border areas contend that India lost five war jets and several war bases, while there were many migrations from the other side. While the entire nation was hoping that Indian forces would re-occupy POK, the war was stopped in an overnight move. Modi is utilising Sindoor as election propaganda material. He is instilling fear among tourists and the retail merchants are unable to earn a decent livelihood. Prior to Pahalgam, there would be over 1000 horses waiting for customers while today there are hardly 100 hundred horses. Tourists are shunning Kashmir and Modi is resorting to venomous politics just to hang on to power. It is fair to state that central politics which started during the Indira Gandhi period, are nearing their climax now. At the political crossroads: Post-independence, the political history of Jammu and Kashmir, was marked by a series of tumultuous and defining events. One of the most significant was the arrest of the region's tallest and most influential leader, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Often referred to as the 'Lion of Kashmir', he led its first democratically elected government. A charismatic mass leader, he played a pivotal role in shaping the political consciousness of the region during the tumultuous years following partition. He was widely credited for carrying out radical land reforms in the 1950s under the slogan 'Land to the tiller', a transformative policy that broke the centuries-old feudal stranglehold and redistributed land to poor peasants. This move not only cemented his popularity among the masses but also triggered deep socio-economic changes in the agrarian landscape of Kashmir. However, his growing assertion of regional autonomy and his stance on Kashmir's special status under Article 370 brought him into confrontation with the Indian establishment. In 1953, in a dramatic turn of events, Sheikh Abdullah was dismissed from office and subsequently arrested—an action that sowed deep seeds of mistrust between Srinagar and New Delhi, the effects of which continue to echo in the region's politics. Shiekh's arrest also marked the erosion of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy. Since his arrest, Centre-State relations in Jammu and Kashmir remained tense and deteriorated, reaching a new low in 1984. That year, the Central government engineered a political defection within the ruling National Conference, leading to the dismissal of Dr. Farooq Abdullah as Chief Minister. In his place, Ghulam Mohammad Shah—Farooq's brother-in-law and a dissident within the party—was installed as the head of the government. Shah's nearly two-year rule was marked by law-and-order problems leading to frequent curfews. The eruption of militancy in 1989 and the appointment of Jagmohan as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir worsened the situation. According to official figures, more than 40,000 people were killed after militancy gathered steam in the region. The protracted presidential rule from 1990 to 1996 created a prolonged democratic vacuum, eroding public trust in political institutions and further deepening the sense of disenfranchisement among the people. During this period, the absence of elected governments and the dominance of security-centric governance led to widespread human rights concerns and a deepening of the conflict narrative. The restoration of democracy in 1996 gave people respite from the long-drawn bureaucratic rule. However, on August 5, 2019, the Central government's unilateral action stripping the special constitution position of Jammu and Kashmir and splitting it into two federally controlled Union Territories drifted the people of the region away from New Delhi. Even after more than nine months since Omar Abdullah's government took office in October 2024, public disillusionment remains high. The promised restoration of statehood is yet to materialize, and the prevailing dual power structure—split between the elected government and the centrally appointed Lieutenant Governor—continues to hamper effective governance. This overlapping authority has led to administrative confusion, policy delays, and a growing sense of frustration among the people. To assuage the hurt and alienation of the people, the government should prioritise restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. This move would not only fulfill a long-standing promise but also reaffirm faith in democratic processes and representative governance. Restoring statehood is essential to bridge the trust deficit, empowering local institutions, and ensuring that the aspirations of the region's people are addressed through a responsive and accountable administration. (The writer is the National Secretary of CPI)
