Sri Lanka’s parliament will convene Tuesday in its first session since a state of emergency was imposed as the country grapples with protests and mounting demands for the president’s resignation over a worsening economic crisis. The state of emergency is due to expire on Thursday next week unless it is ratified in a parliamentary vote. Sri Lanka’s opposition dismissed President Rajapaksa’s invitation to join a unity government as “nonsensical” and instead demanded his resignation over the country’s worsening shortages . meanwhile Sri Lanka’s central bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said he is resigning, only hours after all government ministers offered to step down amid the nation’s worst economic and political crises in decades. The resignation was submitted to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Cabraal said in a Twitter post Monday. It wasn’t immediately clear if the president had accepted the offer.

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“Party for the family, by the family… do I need to say more? If a party is run by one family for many generations, then, it isn’t good for a healthy democracy… look at the political parties from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” .

“Dynastic parties are a matter of great concern for those who want to protect the Constitution. India is headed towards a crisis.”

PM Modi’s comments come as the opposition presents a united front against the government.

“By dynastic politics, I don’t mean that more than one member of a family can’t enter politics. No… on the basis of potential, with people’s blessings, people can join politics. But if a political party – generation after generation – is run by one family, it becomes a threat for democracy,” the Prime Minister said in a sharp attack at the Gandhis.

PM said in speech

भारत एक संवैधानिक लोकतांत्रिक परंपरा है। राजनैतिक दलों का अपना एक अहम महत्व है। और राजनैतिक दल भी हमारे संविधान की भावनाओं को जन-जन तक पहुंचाने का एक प्रमुख माध्यम है। लेकिन, संविधान की भावनाओं को भी चोट पहुँची है। संविधान की एक-एक धारा को भी चोट पहुँची है। जब राजनैतिक दल अपने आप में अपना लोकतांत्रिक character खो देते हैं। जो दल स्वंय लोकतांत्रिक character खो चुके हो वो लोकतंत्र की रक्षा कैसे कर सकते हैं। आज देश में कश्मीर से कन्याकुमारी हिन्दुस्तान के हर कोने में जाइये, भारत एक ऐसे संकट की तरफ बढ़ रहा है, जो संविधान को समर्पित लोगों  के लिए चिंता का विषय है। लोकतंत्र के प्रति आस्था रखने वालों के लिए चिंता का विषय है, और वो हैं पारिवारिक पार्टियाँ, राजनैतिक दल, party for the family, party by the family, अब आगे कहने की जरुरत मुझे नहीं लगती है। कश्मीर से कन्याकुमारी सभी राजनैतिक दलों की तरफ देखिए, यह लोकतंत्र की भावानाओं के खिलाफ है। संविधान हमे जो कहता है उसके विपरीत है, और जब मैं यह कहता हूँ, कि पारिवारिक पार्टियाँ इसका मतलब मैं यह नहीं कहता हूँ, एक पारिवार में से एक से अधिक लोग राजनीति में न आए। जी नहीं, योग्यता के आधार पर, जनता के आशीर्वाद से किसी परिवार से एक से अधिक लोग राजनीति में जाएं इससे पार्टी परिवारवादी नहीं बन जाती है। लेकिन जो पार्टी पीढ़ी दर पीढ़ी एक ही परिवार चलाता रहे, पार्टी की सारी व्यवस्था परिवारों के पास रहे वो लोकतंत्र स्वस्थ लोकतंत्र के लिए संकट होता है। और आज संविधान के दिवस पर, संविधान में विश्वास करने वाले, संविधान को समझने वाले, संविधान को समर्पित सभी देशवासियों से मैं आग्रह करुँगा। देश में एक जागरुकता लाने की आवश्यकता है।

जापान में एक प्रयोग हुआ था। जापान में देखा गया कि, कुछ ही  politically family ही व्यवस्था में चल रहे हैं। तो किसी ने बीड़ा उठाया था कि वो नागरिकों को तैयार करेंगे और politically family के बाहर के लोग निर्णय प्रक्रिया में कैसे आये, और बड़ी सफलतापूर्वक तीस चालीस साल लगे लेकिन करना पड़ा। लोकतंत्र को समृद्ध करने के लिए हमे भी हमारे देश में ऐसी चीजों को और जानने की आवश्यकता है, चिंता करने की आवश्यकता है, देशवासियों को जगाने की आवश्यकता है।

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The floor leaders of all the political parties from both houses of Parliament have been invited to the meeting, they added.

Besides Modi, senior Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, will represent the government at the meeting.

On Sunday evening, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has called a meeting of the floor leaders of the Upper House of Parliament.

Similarly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to call a meeting of the floor leaders in the Lower House on November 27.

The big move in the Winter Session will be the withdrawal of the farm laws, for which the cabinet is expected to clear a bill on Wednesday. PM Modi had announced the withdrawal last week.

While the opposition has been demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws, they are expected to pin down the government on the other demand of the farmers — a law on   minimum support prices of crops. The farmers have refused to withdraw their protest unless this demand, too, is accepted.

There is also a likelihood that the Trinamool Congress will raise the issue of violence in Tripura, over which they held a dharna at the North Block today.

More than a dozen MPs sat outside the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, protesting against the alleged police brutality against their party workers in the BJP-ruled state.

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The opposition leaders had asked for a discussion on president’s speech and farmers’ protest but Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said it will take place on Wednesday.

“President has referred to farmers’ agitation in his address. I wanted the discussion to start today but I was told that the discussion first starts in Lok Sabha. Keeping this in mind we have agreed to have a discussion on President’s address tomorrow,” he said.

Opposition parties including the Congress, Left, TMC and DMK on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha after their demand for suspension of business of the day to take up a discussion on more than two-month-old farmers’ agitation was rejected by the Chairman.

The opposition parties had given notice under rule 267 calling for the suspension of business of the day to take up discussion on the ongoing agitation by farmers on Delhi borders against three new farm laws.

When the House met for the day, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said he has received notice under rule 267 from various members but the issue can be raised during the discussion on motion of thanks to the President’s address to the joint sitting of both House of Parliament.

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Mr joshi in his letter to Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that various political party expressed concerned on covid 19 .Chowdhury, in his letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on December 3 mentioned a number of issues such as farmers’ agitation, status/preparation of Covid-19 vaccine, Chinese intrusion, economic slowdown and unemployment scenario to press for the short Winter Session.

Joshi said that winter months are crucial for managing the pandemic because of the recent spurt in cases during this period, particularly in Delhi.

“At present, we are in the middle of December and a Covid vaccine is expected very soon. In this regard, I have informally contacted floor leaders of various political parties and they have expressed their concerns about the ongoing pandemic and opined of doing away with Winter Session.” Joshi said.

“The government is willing to have the next session of Parliament at the earliest. It would be appropriate to have the Budget Session, 2021 in January 2012 keeping in mind the unprecedented circumstances created by Covid-19 pandemic,” Joshi said.

The Minister said the Monsoon session was held in September with safety protocols. It was, he emphasised, the most productive session passing 27 Bills during 10 continuous sittings of both the Houses.

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The Rules of the House do provide for such suspension when it becomes inevitable, he pointed out.
In his concluding remarks before Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die, eight days ahead of the schedule, Shri Naidu said while it was the right of the opposition to protest, but the question is how should it be done?

Pointing out that the floor of the august House was the most effective platform for contestation of ideas, he said that if boycott is done for a longer period, it amounts to leaving the very platform that enables members to effectively convey their ideas, besides contesting those of others.

Referring to the letter he had received from the Leader of Opposition, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad and others urging the House not to pass the three labour codes, the Chairman said that there have been a number of precedents when the business was taken up as per schedule and bills were approved in the wake of boycott or walkout by some members. In this context, he cited the passage of Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill in 2013. Shri Naidu said that had the letter suggested the postponement of bill by stating that they would attend the House, he would have discussed the issue with the government. He said that there was no such assurance. On the other hand some of the members justified what they had done. Therefore he decided to go ahead with the bills, he said.

Observing that though the session was satisfying in terms of productivity, he said there have been some areas of concern as well. “We need to collectively ponder over these issues for making a difference in future”, he added.

The Chairman said that for the first time in this history of this august House, a notice of motion was given for the removal of the Deputy Chairman and it was rejected. He pointed out that the mandatory 14 days advance notice was not given.

Referring to the developments surrounding this unprecedented move, he said they have been deeply painful for all those who hold the stature and the dignity of this august House dear to their hearts. He appealed to the members to ensure that such unseemly behaviour was not repeated.

Though it was not the first time that some members were suspended and Bills passed when some sections of the House boycotted the proceedings, he said “I find it extremely unpalatable. This kind of a situation needs to be avoided by all means”.

Observing that he has been associated with the august House for the past 22 years, Shri Naidu said that he gets anguished whenever bills are passed in the din. “I am naturally more pained to see that happen as the Chairman of this august House. It hurts me the most when the Chair is rendered helpless by the turn of events and has to perforce take action against the members as per the Rules” the Chairman added.

The Chairman sought to remind the members that twice, in 1997 and 2012, the august House has resolved that all the members will uphold the dignity of the House by complying with the Rules and Procedures. He said that it was the responsibility of all members to ensure the smooth functioning of the House “so that we can fulfill our commitments to the people”.

Referring to the remarks of the Leader of the Opposition Shri Azad about lowering the standing of the LoP in the House, he said the Leader of the Opposition was central to the orderly functioning of the House. Shri Naidu said that he had always reached out to him for his inputs before coming to a decision on any issue concerning the functioning of the House.

Observing that the 252nd session of the Rajya Sabha was marked by several novel features induced by the outbreak of novel corona virus, he said the House had 10 sittings and functioned from six different locations including the chambers of both the Houses of Parliament and four galleries of this House, a first of its kind in the history of Rajya Sabha.

Stating that the Rajya Sabha was concluding 8 sittings ahead of the scheduled 18 sittings as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the humankind, he said “we are living in extra-ordinary times warranting several adjustments requiring us to live a new normal life”.

Giving a brief account of the session, he said during the 10 sittings, a total of 25 Bills were passed and six Bills introduced. The productivity of the House during this session has been 100.47%. The new normal of high productivity witnessed during the last three sessions has continued during this session as well. “As a result, the overall productivity of the last 4 sessions comes to a praiseworthy 96.13%”.

This high productivity for four consecutive sessions is the best during the last five years”, the Chairman added.

He said that written replies were given to a total of 1,567 unstarred Questions during the 10 sittings, while the members raised issues of urgent public importance through 92 Zero Hour and 66 Special Mentions. Besides, the members discussed important issues of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, its consequences and management and the developments along the border in Ladakh.

Shri Naidu appreciated all the frontline warriors like the Doctors, Nurses, Para-medical staff, Sanitation workers, Scientists and farmers. He also expressed his gratitude to the police and armed forces for keeping the country safe.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded in parliament that the government reveal the names of top 50 willful loan defaulters and the steps taken to recover dues from them.

“The Prime Minister says that those who have taken loans from the banks and have fled from the country will be brought back to India. I asked for the names of those who have defaulted, but I did not get any reply. My question is who the 50 top wilful defaulters are,” Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha.

As Anurag Thakur, the Minister of State for Finance, rose to reply to the question, Congress leaders objected and demanded answers from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. To this, the Speaker said that he was within his rights to reply to the question.

Mr Thakur said the names of those who had defaulted on loans above Rs 25 lakh were available on the website and that most of the loans were given during the Congress-led UPA rule.

“A list of wilful defaulters is available on the website. The government is not going to hide. It will not allow itself to be blamed for sins committed by others. All these people took the money and went away during their (Congress) rule,” he said, adding that the names of defaulters of over Rs one crore were also available.

Mr Gandhi’s question, he remarked, showed his lack of understanding on the subject. “They distributed money, we brought it back,” he said.

He also referred to the sale of a painting of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor through cheque and said he was not making political allegations.

“We did not go there,” he said.

Mr Thakur said the government has taken a series of steps to improve the condition of banks including asset capital review and recapitalization.

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Earlier Former Union Minister and four-time parliamentarian Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress on Tuesday morning, shortly after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

He is expected to join the BJP sometime this week, days after criticising the party over violence in Delhi, and is likely to be rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat and subsequently a berth in the union cabinet. Shortly after his exit, 21 Congress MLAs sent letters of resignation, sources within Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan said.

Earlier sources said 25 MLAs were ready to resign. Should these resignations be accepted, the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government will be reduced to a minority and likely be toppled. However, Mr Nath is confident his government will complete the five-year term. “There is nothing to worry about. We will prove our majority,” he said late on Tuesday night.

Scindia posted a resignation letter on his Twitter account dated 9 March, stating to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi that it was “time to move on” as the path for the same has been “drawing out over the last one year”. Scindia, three time Lok Sabha MP, played a key role in Madhya Pradesh elections in 2018 which the party won.

Scindia’s resignation happened in the backdrop of a section of party MLAs from Madhya Pradesh revolting against Nath. By late Tuesday evening, atleast 22 of them had tendered their resignation to Governor Lalji Tandon as well as to the assembly speaker.

Out of the total 230 assembly seats, two are currently vacant. In the event of the resignation of 22 rebel MLAs getting accepted, the actual voting strength (in case of a trust vote) will effectively come down to 206. The list of those who have resigned includes six ministers — Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Prabhuram Choudhry, Imarti Devi, Pradyumna Singh Tomar and Mahendra Singh Sisodia.

BJP alone has 107 MLAs in the legislative assembly while the Congress’ original tally is 114. Congress draws support from draws support from four independents, two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs, and one MLA from the Samajwadi Party (SP).

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“I am happy to announce that in the cabinet meeting today morning, we took significant decisions on the Ayodhya trust. As per the orders of the Supreme Court, we have set up a trust. The Sri Ram Janma Bhumi Tirtha Shetra will be the name of the trust. It will be an independent body,” Modi said.

In India, everyone is a part of one “broad family”, be it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis or Jains, Modi said.

“We have taken another big step for Ram Mandir pilgrims. We are allocating over 67 acres of land near the mandir area to the trust,” he added.

Union home minister Amit Shah said the trust would comprise 15 members, including a Dalit representative who would be in-charge of the entire 67-acre land.

Amit Shah

श्री राम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र ट्रस्ट में 15 ट्रस्टी होंगे जिसमें से एक ट्रस्टी हमेशा दलित समाज से रहेगा। सामाजिक सौहार्द को मजबूत करने वाले ऐसे अभूतपूर्व निर्णय के लिए मैं प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी को अनेक अनेक बधाई देता हूँ।

Uma Bharati welcomed the announcement, saying it is now time to move towards the implementation of a Ram Rajya (an equitable society).

“This was a dream of a grand temple we saw under Singhal ji (Ashok) and Advani ji (LK Advani),” she said.
In its historic judgment on November 9, the Supreme Court had directed the central government to formulate a scheme with necessary provisions for the setting up of a trust with a board of trustees or any other appropriate body, the functioning of the trust, the powers of the trustees, transfer of land to the trust and all necessary, incidental and supplemental matters

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