Parliament Highlights: Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi's reference to Amritpal Singh triggers row in LS

"I don't know how old (Charanjit Singh) Channi was in 1975. His party's young leaders were probably not even born. We know how situations were during Emergency; leaders were locked up overnight, civil liberties were curtailed and newspapers were printed with a blank page," said Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. 

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh says, "Rabri Devi has been the CM of Bihar and not my mother and wife - also they haven't given any reaction on budget. I have just said what she will understand about the budget, it's a technical thing. Where I have disrespected any woman? We respect women, Nitish Kumar has worked for women's empowerment while being the CM. If she is very cautious about women, what she did do for their empowerment when she was the CM? The entire Bihar knows when she was the CM and Lalu Yadav was in the 'big house, fort', the files used to go there... She is illiterate but I am not even condemning that."

On Union MoS Ravneet Bittu's remark on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, "Bittu has lost his mental balance. He has become MP three times on Congress' ticket, and saying such thing, I think Punjabis don't say such mean things..."

BJP MP Arun Singh lashed out at Congress and Samajwadi Party on Thursday. Speaking to the media, the BJP leader said both the parties will be wiped off from Uttar Pradesh. He said, "Akhilesh Yadav, SP and Congress are under an illusion. They won a few Lok Sabha seats through lies and deceit. They said, "Samvidhan khatre mein hai", that they would provide Rs 1 Lakh each to women...People have not forgotten the tenure of Samajwadi Party - when riots and kidnapping were rampant, goons and criminals freely roamed the streets. So, Congress and Samajwadi Party will be gradually wiped off from Uttar Pradesh."

Amid the furore over his statement in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi said, "...I spoke about the poor, the farmers that how promise on MSP to farmers is not being delivered. I spoke about the entire Budget, about the situation in the country and the manner in which the country is sinking financially." Further, about his statement on Amritpal Singh, the Congress leader said, "I said inside (the House)."

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma criticised Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi's statement in LS on Amritpal Singh. He said, "...A sense of terrorist-sympathiser has awoken inside Channi. He has the blessings of Congress. This is his desire for foreign funds, especially from Canada, given for terrorist activities...Action should be taken."

On Sukanta Majumdar raising demand of incorporating North Bengal with North East India, TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, "Bengal will never be divided... but he needs to remember that the people of Bengal will never support such demands. If he keeps talking like this, just like CPI(M) and Congress were reduced to zero, BJP will also be reduced to zero in 2026..." 

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi lashed out at the government on Thursday (July 25). He said, "...The opposition wants to raise the issues of the country but the govt has this habit of suppressing the country's voice. When the former CM of Punjab, Channi Ji was raising the issues of farmers - about legalising MSP, the BJP govt continuously tried to suppress his voice, and it was not just one but three ministers who interrupted his speech. BJP is still arrogant towards the farmers..."

Lok Sabha adjourned till 3 pm amid war of words between treasury and opposition benches

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reaches Parliament

Congress MP Manish Tewari said, "The opposition doesn't require advice from Mr Rijiju as to what issues they need to articulate. If the government is so concerned about the farmers and the tribals, why is it that the farmers have been sitting on the roads since 2020? Why has the government not done anything about the farmers? Why is it that you have so many indigenous tribal movements taking place all over the country? That is the responsibility of the government. They need to address it, and they need to address it with urgency. So rather than giving advice to the opposition, Mr Rijiju needs to give that advice to his own cabinet colleagues..."

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav said, "Politics and budget are interrelated. Had it not been for politics, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar wouldn't have been given a special package. UP has consecutively given so many seats to the BJP. Never in history has any single party won so many seats from UP. UP should have been given a special package from the centre's funds..."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "The budget of health and education ministries have been reduced, so I asked them the reason. There is no politics in this. Two states have been given favourable treatment to satisfy their coalition partners. We know this is how it works and we also have the right to protest against it. I am happy for the people of Bihar for getting such a generous package. It is a very big deal. 3 Congress and 1 DMK Chief Minister said they would not attend the NITI Aayog meeting because there was nothing for their states in the budget. Maybe Mamata Banerjee has an issue which she wants to discuss."

RLD MP and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary said, "...This is an opportunity and the opposition should take it positively. Issues are being discussed, I am happy that the House is running this time. The House has started well and there should be positive discussions."

On Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju's statement, TMC MP Saugata Roy says, "Modi ji has not received the mandate and that is why more has been given to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar and that is why this will be discussed."

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived at the Parliament for the Monsoon session.

Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha proceedings begin.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "You all must have seen yesterday's discussion. After the presentation of the first budget of the historic third term under the leadership of PM Modi, the country wants to see that the discussion on the budget takes place in a good and meaningful manner. The way the leaders of some parties commented during the budget session and the way they gave speeches, I would like to say that they have insulted the House by lowering the dignity of the budget session. The Prime Minister has already said that whatever had to be done for the party has been done in the elections, now everyone has to work together for the country, not for the party. Yesterday the opposition people did not say anything on the budget, they just did politics. They have insulted the mandate of the country and the opposition people have abused the Prime Minister."

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi gives adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the issue of recent train accidents.

Congress MP Manish Tewari gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha, demands discussion on 'border situation and huge trade deficit with China'

During a recent Rajya Sabha discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25, former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram raised four critical challenges that the Indian economy is currently facing. He said the most significant challenge is unemployment and data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) indicates that the unemployment rate for June 2024 is 9.2 per cent.

The discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on July 23, will continue in both Houses of Parliament today.