Parliament Winter Session Day 7: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha Adjourned Till Tomorrow After Debates On Electoral Reforms, Vande Mataram

After a discussion on 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Rajya Sabha has also been adjourned till tomorrow. 

BJP MP Sambit Patra Said that Congress had time to seek evidence, saying,  "For Bihar elections, Rahul Gandhi and Congress have 20 more days left. The CCTV footage are safe. If Rahul Gandhi wants, he can do his homework, and if he thinks he needs any CCTV footage from Bihar, he can ask for it."

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, while the Rajya Sabha extended its sitting till 8 pm on Tuesday. Rajya Sabha is discussing 150 years of Vande Mataram. 

After intense debate on the electoral framework and Vende Matram, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day. 

Calling for a key change in the electoral framework during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Shrikant Shinde said that the minimum age to contest elections should be reduced from 25 to 18.

After National Conference leader Ramzan Choudhary said that Muslims cannot sing Vande Mataram, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) MP Milind Murli Deora on Tuesday cited AR Rahman and said that 'rendition by proud Indian Muslim' proves people like NC MP wrong. 

"AR Rahman’s version of Vande Mataram seems like a rendition by a proud Indian Muslim. It proves people like NC MP Ramzan wrong,” Deora said.

The BJP MP, Sambit Patra, on Tuesday, rebutted Rahul Gandhi's remark over CCTV footage, saying that the Leader of the Opposition needs to learn 'a great deal about the election process in India'. 

"Rahul Gandhi asked why the CCTV footage is destroyed after 45 days of the election. I think Rahul Gandhi needs to learn a great deal about the election process in India," Patra said while speaking to reporters.

BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, of threatening the ECI. He said, "Never before in the parliamentary history of India would you find the LoP or any other leader threatening a judicial body like the Election Commission and the Election Commissioner, which are unconstitutional authorities, with dire consequences. 'If we come to power, we will not spare you.' This kind of threat issued by Rahul Gandhi today is a sign of arrogance and ignorance."

"There is institutional capture of EC that directly controls the election system of our country", Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha, as he emphasised that Indian institutions are working under influence and control. 

As LoP, Rahul Gandhi, is currently addressing the Lok Sabha amid debate on Electoral reform, he accused the RSS of capturing Indian institutions after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. 

"RSS' project after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination was the wholesale capture of India's institutional framework",  Rahul Gandhi added in his speech. 

Targeting RSS, Rahul Gandhi in parliament Said, "RSS fundamentally does not believe in equality; they believe in a hierarchy." 

While addressing the Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS of controlling government institutions, saying, "On the 30th of January, 1948, three bullets pierced the chest of Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse assassinated the father of our nation. Today, our friends have pushed him away. He's an uncomfortable truth. But that's not where the project ended. As I said, everything has emerged from the vote. All the institutions have emerged from the vote. So it's obvious that the RSS has to capture all the institutions that have emerged from there."

In his speech in Lok Sabha amid debate on electoral reform during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi said, "Our nation is a fabric of 1.5 billion people, and it is woven together by vote".

As Rahul Ganshi begins to address the Lok Sabha amid debate on electoral reform, the Leader of Opposition said that every person in India is equal disturbs my friends in RSS. 

While participating in the debate on election reforms, the Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh declared India's electoral process as 'best', saying,  “Our election process is the best in the world, and there is no scope for any improvement in it.”

Rahul Gandhi is likely to address Parliament this afternoon between 3:30 PM and 4:00 PM. His intervention comes amid the ongoing parliamentary debate on the issues of SIR and the Vande Mataram, News18 reported.

Following Home Minister Amit Shah's address in the Rajya Sabha, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a sharp counterattack, beginning his speech with the chant of "Vande Mataram." 

Kharge stated that the Congress party played a pivotal role in transforming "Vande Mataram" into a national slogan, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of 'selectively invoking history.'

“When you formed a government in Bengal with the Muslim League, where was your patriotism then? When Shyama Prasad Mukherjee joined to form the government in Bengal, where was your patriotism then?” he asked.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah blamed the Congress for the division of the national song, Vande Mataram. Shah asserted that the Congress had split the song into two parts for "politics of appeasement."

Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Shah said, “Several people like me, whether the Congress likes it or not, believe that the Partition of country would not have taken place if Vande Mataram would not have been divided into two parts due to policy of appeasement.”

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were absent from the Lok Sabha as the Parliament engaged in key debates on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Vande Mataram.

During a discussion on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav stated that "10 BLOs (Booth Level Officers) have lost their lives in the state during the ongoing SIR (Special Summary Revision) process."

Yadav demanded that the families of the deceased Booth Level Officers be given an ex gratia amount of Rs 1 crore and that a government job be provided to one member of each affected family.

Speaking on Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted the timeless relevance of Vande Mataram, specifically in response to Parliament members who questioned the necessity of its discussion. Emphasising the song’s enduring and essential place in India's identity and democratic spirit, he said, “will remain vital in 2047.”

Congress MP Manish Tewari criticised the BJP government for the alleged misuse of public funds under the pretext of 'freebies.' “There has been misuse of government funds, with cash being transferred into people’s accounts 15 months before the elections,” Tewari said.

He implied that these pre-election cash transfers could unfairly influence voters, raising serious concerns about the fairness and integrity of the upcoming electoral process.

During the debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Congress MP Manish Tewari raised significant concerns about the transparency and functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He stressed that "Democracy runs on faith," and questioned, "Who has the source code of this EVM? I have not received an answer."

Warning that machines can be manipulated, Tewari called for a complete shift to either 100 per cent VVPAT counting or the use of paper ballots. With elections approaching in six states, he urged the adoption of paper ballots so that the "truth comes out clearly."

Congress MP Manish Tewari has criticised the Election Commission's current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process underway across the country. Tewari stated that the Election Commission (EC) lacks the legal authority to implement the revision nationwide. He argued that the SIR should not be applied across entire states like Bihar or Kerala but instead "can only be applied where genuine discrepancies exist."

The debate on electoral reforms, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of India’s voter rolls, has started during Day 7 of Parliament's Winter Session. 

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that operations affected by the IndiGo crisis are "stabilising fast" and that "safety remains fully in force."

"Operations are stabilising fast, safety remains fully in force, IndiGo is being held accountable, passengers' convenience and dignity are being protected, and long-term measures are underway to take India's aviation sector more passenger-centric..."

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu addressed the Lok Sabha regarding the ongoing IndiGo flight disruption crisis, assuring the House that the airline's operations are "resuming gradually" after days of widespread cancellations and delays.

Speaking to ANI, he said "The Prime Minister has always said that his government will work for the poor and oppressed. Every decision taken has been taken keeping the best interests of the people in mind. All reforms introduced by the government have positively impacted the lives of people. Rs 78000 crores worth of unclaimed money is deposited in banks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started a new initiative to return that money to the people. Data is being collected from every corner of the country, and the money is being returned to the rightful owners... Emphasis will be given to ease of doing business and ease of living..."

BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the members at the NDA Parliamentary Party Meeting and "guided everyone" and "allocated party work to all of us."

"Prime Minister guided everyone. He allocated party work to all of us. We have been allotted work for the upcoming budget session..."

Following the NDA Parliamentary Party Meeting in the Old Parliament building, Union Ministers, including Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Piyush Goyal, Rajnath Singh, and Nirmala Sitharaman, along with other Members of Parliament (MPs), walked towards the New Parliament Building.

The Lok Sabha proceedings on Day 7 of the Parliament Winter Session begin. The Lok Sabha is set for a key debate on Electoral Reforms, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.

Following the conclusion NDA Parliamentary Party meeting, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju highlighted key guidance provided by the Prime Minister.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “All NDA leaders congratulated PM Modi for the NDA's victory in the Bihar elections. PM Modi guided all the NDA MPs to work for their respective constituencies. PM emphasised undertaking reforms across all sectors to ease the public's lives and ensure they face no problems. The PM said that laws should help people. He also urged the MPs to connect with the youth. I express my gratitude to the PM for this guidance. It was a very good meeting of the NDA parliamentary party."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves after the conclusion of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Parliamentary Party Meeting, news agency ANI reported. 

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed his Australian counterpart, Jason Clare, and the Australian delegation to the Parliament. They are in the city to participate in the 3rd Australia-India Education and Skills Council (AIESC) Meeting.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu will address the Lok Sabha at 12:00 PM today on the IndiGo operational crisis. The minister's address comes amid days of widespread flight delays and cancellations across IndiGo's network, which have left thousands of passengers stranded and sparked concerns over the airline's internal crew rostering and operational planning failures.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders felicitated Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Parliamentary Party meeting today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived for the NDA parliamentary party meeting ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) debate. 

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, JDU MP Sanjay Jha, NCP MP Praful Patel, Union Minister S Jaishankar, and other key leaders arrive for the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting ahead of the SIR debate in Lok Sabha today. 

The Lok Sabha has allocated two days, December 9 and 10, for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) debate, providing a total of 20 hours for detailed discussion. The daily sessions are scheduled to run from 11 AM to 1 PM and from 2 PM to 6 PM. 

The NDA parliamentary party meeting is scheduled to be held at 9:30 AM today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Members of Parliament (MPs) on the SIR Bill ahead of a key debate in the Lok Sabha.

Welcome to The Daily Jagran Live Blog of Day 7 of Parliament’s Winter Session, where the Lok Sabha is set for a debate on the SIR of the electoral rolls.