PM Modi in the Lok Sabha, Opposition MPs Stage Walkout

Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: As discussion on the No-Confidence Motion against the Narendra Modi government is underway, the Prime Minister arrived in the Lok Sabha while Leader of Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury addressed the House.

Watch the proceedings LIVE here:

NDA MPs object to Chowdhury’s personal attacks on PM Modi.

“We kept quiet so far but we will not tolerate such words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Amit Shah said.

PM Modi will reply to the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha at 4:00 pm today.

“I have been in this Parliament for 20 years but I have not seen such behaviour. No, but I want to apologise in front of the people of the country,” said BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Attacking Rahul Gandhi, Scindia said: “Yesterday Rahul Gandhi said that for PM Manipur is not part of India. I want to tell you that the PM has connected the Northeast with the world. The ideology of seeing India divided is yours, not ours.”

“They (Congress) say they will open a shop of love in the market of hatred. Their shop is of corruption, lies, appeasement, and arrogance. They only change the name of the shop but the product remains the same,” he added.

Opposition MPs staged a walkout as BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia targeted the INDIA alliance. PM Modi is also present in the House.

NDA MPs object to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s personal attacks on PM Modi.

“We kept quiet so far, but we will not tolerate such words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Amit Shah said.

As discussions on the No-Confidence Motion against the Narendra Modi government is underway, the Prime Minister arrived in the House where Leader of Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is addressing.

“The power of no-confidence motion has brought the Prime Minister in the Parliament today. None of us were thinking about this no-confidence motion. We were only demanding that PM Modi should come to the Parliament and speak on the Manipur issue. We were not demanding any BJP member to come to the Parliament, we were only demanding our PM to come,” Chowdhury said.

“We want to tell the Prime Minister that we don’t care if he wins the post 100 times, we only care for the people of India. When we went to Manipur, we felt that he should have spoken for the brothers and sisters of Manipur. He should have personally appealed for peace. He should have spoken his ‘Mann ki Baat’ for the people of Manipur,” Chowdhury said.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra, while addressing the Lok Sabha, targeted the BJP government over the Manipur unrest.

“We have not heard of one change in Manipur, of one change in government. So, stop this whataboutery,” she said.

Addressing the Lok Sabha, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the government on several incidents including the shooting by an RPF constable in a train, the demolition of Muslim houses after Nuh violence, and the Bilkis Bano case among others.

“Procuring of tomatoes from tomato growing regions of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and also Karnataka and distribution of these through cooperative societies like NCCF, NAFED are all happening. Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan – this has already started from 14th July and this will continue. Also in Delhi, mobile vans are distributing as outlets of NCCF and NAFED and also the Kendriya Bhandar,” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Opposition MPs staged a walkout during Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech in the Lok Sabha.

“The standard operating procedure will be followed, the PM will play victim card, he’ll blame the previous governments. He’ll invoke Nehru ji, Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and blame Rahul Gandhi. It took more than 80 days for the PM to say the word Manipur. It’s just going to be his ‘Mann ki Baat’ today,” Congress MP Priyank Kharge said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is addressing the House on the state of India’s economy.

“In 2013, Morgan Stanley had included India in the list of five fragile economies of the world. India was declared a fragile economy. Today, the same Morgan Stanley upgraded India and gave it a higher rating. In just 9 years, the economy rose and saw economic development due to the policies of our government despite COVID,” she said.

“The House leaders had come to my room to meet me. They wanted that the discussion on Manipur to take place under 176 and assured sufficient time. We said that the government wants discussion under rule 176 and we want 267, so we should find a midway,” Mallikarjun Kharge said in the Rajya Sabha.

“We discussed and decided we should have the debate under rule 167. I request that the discussion under rule 167 take place in front of the Prime Minister. Why is he not coming? Is he God?”

Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha till 12:00 PM amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs.

Ahead of his reply in the Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top Union Ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Pralhad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, news agency ANI reported.

The sessions of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha resumed at 11:00 AM on Thursday, 10 August.

Floor leaders of the INDIA grouping held a meeting at 10:00 AM in the chamber of LoP in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to chalk out their strategy on the floors of both Houses.

RJD MP Manoj Jha said that the Opposition was “eagerly waiting” to hear PM Modi speak in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He also said that the no-confidence motion was brought only to get the prime minister to address Parliament.

“This no-confidence motion wasn’t brought for numbers. We all are aware that you (Centre) have the numbers, but we have small numbers and through this device, we could hear something, Manipur could hear something,” he told news agency ANI.

“I just hope that today he doesn’t become a human of the past and start with Nehru like Amit Shah’s speech yesterday,” he added.

Speaking on allegation that he had “fraudulently” included the names of some MPs in a motion regarding the Delhi services Bill, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said, “The rule book says that any MP can propose the name for the formation of any committee and neither the signature nor the written consent of the person whose name is proposed is required. But a lie was spread that forged signatures were done.”

Two Bills are scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today. These include:

1. The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023

2. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday, 10 August, reply to the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

This will mark the first time PM Modi will be addressing Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session.