August 3, 2018
Monsoon Session Week 3 – NRC dominates proceedings
The burning topic of the week in Parliament comprised the issues regarding the publication of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. The list, compiled by the Central Government, controversially eliminated over 40 lakh people from the list of citizens of the country.
MPs of various parties spoke on the issue in Parliament, with Trinamool Congress taking the lead. Derek O’Brien also gave a notice of suspension of business, under Rule 267, on the issue, which was not accepted. The party also requested in the Rajya Sabha for the Home Minister to come and give a statement on the issue, which was also not accepted.
On Thursday, August 2, Trinamool Congress moved an Adjournment Motion in the Rajya Sabha demanding a statement from the Home Minister in the House regarding the issue of NRC. The motion was rejected.
However, the Home Minister did give a statement on Friday, August 3, in response to which Derek O’Brien exposed the doublespeak of the BJP Government as well as offered suggestions for the Central Government to follow to rectify some of the issues which have cropped out.
On Friday, he also spoke out against the heckling of the Trinamool delegation which had gone to Assam. On the issue of heckling of the party’s delegates at Silchar Airport, Trinamool MPs of the Lok Sabha had walked out in protest against it the previous day.
Among the other issues discussed widely were The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, etc, and important topics were raised in the Question Hour and the Zero Hour in both Houses of Parliament.
Publication of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam
July 30
Derek O’Brien gave notice of suspension of business, under Rule 267, on the issue of NRC
Sudip Bandyopadhyay speaks on the issue of NRC
July 31
Sukhendu Sekhar Roy spoke on NRC
Saugata Roy spoke on the issue of NRC
August 2
Saugata Roy spoke on the issue of NRC
August 3
Derek O’Brien spoke on the heckling of the Trinamool delegation in Assam
Derek O’Brien spoke on NRC
Kalyan Banerjee condemned the heckling of the Trinamool delegation in Silchar
LOK SABHA
Question Hour
Prasun Banerjee asked Supplementary Questions on Institutes of Eminence
Saugata Roy asked Supplementary Questions on Institutes of Eminence
Sugata Bose asked a Supplementary Question on the Rohingya refugee crisis
Abhishek Banerjee asked Supplementary Questions on Centre of Excellence for capital goods sector
Kalyan Banerjee asked Supplementary Questions on pending cases in High Courts
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar asked a Supplementary Question on the modernisation of a railway station in her constituency
Sugata Bose asked Supplementary Questions on the informal summit with China
Abhishek Banerjee asked a Supplementary Question on PMGSY
Zero Hour
Arpita Ghosh spoke on the railway infrastructure in her constituency
Partha Pratim Roy spoke on the resumption of railway connectivity via Lalmonirhat junction
Tapas Mandal spoke on the demand for a motorable subway in Ranaghat
Arpita Ghosh spoke on the issues of Aadhaar and NRC delegitimising people
Dasarath Tirkey spoke on the issue of closed tea gardens in north Bengal
Bills
Ratna De Nag spoke on The Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018
Saugata Roy spoke on The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018
Mumtaz Sanghahmita spoke on The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018
Saugata Roy spoke on The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018
Idrish Ali spoke on The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018
Kalyan Banerjee speaks on The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill, 2017
Prasun Banerjee speaks on The National Sports University Bill, 2018
RAJYA SABHA
Zero Hour
Ahamed Hassan spoke on the issue of injustice to farmers in the name of crop insurance
Derek O’Brien spoke on press freedom
Shanta Chhetri spoke on the issue of linking Aadhaar to mobile phone numbers
Dr Santanu Sen spoke on the need for a ‘one company, one drug, one price’ policy
Question Hour
Manas Bhuniya asked Supplementary Questions on terrorists and insurgents killed
Santanu Sen asked a Supplementary Question on the code of conducts for pilots
Dr Santanu Sen asks a Supplementary Question on the fall in the number of candidates for 2018 JEE (Advanced)
Dola Sen asked a Supplementary Question on loss-making CPSEs
Therefore, it turned out to be a week in which NRC dominated the scene, and rightly so. After all, more than 40 lakh cannot be denied citizenship all of a sudden. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too spoke out strongly against the NRC list of Assam, and condemned the attack on her party’s representatives at Silchar Airport.
