17th Lok Sabha: Most productive Parliament session in 6 decades with passage of 36 bills

Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and members of the House pay tribute to former EAM Sushma Swaraj. M Venkaiah Naidu says, "In her untimely demise, the nation has lost an able administrator, an effective parliamentarian and a true voice of people."

Rajya Sabha alone is functioning on Wednesday as government wants it to approve four Bills.

Lok Sabha adjourned sine die

After another round of re-voting in Lok Sabha, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was passed with 370 votes in favour of it, and 70 votes against it.

Resolution revoking Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir passed in Lok Sabha

Resolution revoking Article 370 from J&K passed by the Lok Sabha

The voting for the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 is currently underway in the Lok Sabha.

Amit Shah said, "NCP MP Supriya Sule asked what would happen to Jammu and Kashmir environment. India has laws for environment protection and they'll be implemented there as soon as Article 370 is revoked. Jammu and Kashmir will remain 'heaven on earth'."

On the bifurcation decision, Shah said, ""When normalcy returns to Jammu and Kashmir, the government will have no hesitation in taking a decision (with restoring its full statehood)." Taking a dig at the Opposition Congress, he said, "We will not take 70 years to take that decision, that I can assure."

Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Article 370 was creating doubts over Jammu and Kashmir's relations with India. India will continue to claim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir." He also assured that the Narendra Modi government has no intention to remove Article 371, which gives certain special rights to some states in North East.

Home Minister Amit Shah said in Lok Sabha, "We don't want to hold discussions with Hurriyat Conference. We're ready to listen to the people living in the Valley. They belong to us, we will accept them wholeheartedly."

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi requested the Speaker to extend the Lok Sabha sitting till the bill is passed.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took on Opposition and said, "Can we deny this fundamental fact that abuse of Article 370 has become a vested interest? "Today, the people from the Opposition who are talking about Article 370, did they speak when human rights were being violated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)? Even today, human rights are violated in PoK. These are bigger questions."

While replying in the fiery debate, Amit Shah said that the governement earlier had a strong hold on PoK and will continue to have so.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Lok Sabha. He was welcomed with a thunderous applaud.

Shashi Tharoor: We all remember the last time PM unleashed a decision to the nation which was also initially applauded for his decisiveness,just like today and that was the disaster of demonetisation. Nation is still dealing with devastating consequences of that action.

Amit Shah in Lok Sabha: I'm saying it for the 4th time, and I've the patience to say it for the 10th time, Farooq Abdullah has neither been detained nor arrested. If he isn't well, doctors will take him to hospital. House shouldn't worry. If he wasn't well, he would not have come out.

Shashi Tharoor, Congress: Why we think it is indeed a black day? Because two former J&K CMs Omar Abdullah&Mehbooba Mufti are under arrest & the whereabouts of our own colleague Farooq Abdullah are still unclear. We still want to know where he is?

Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering, in Lok Sabha, said, “We had earlier said that we (Ladakh) should not be kept with Jammu and Kashmir but they did not hear. It did not develop us. I come from Kargil, and I proudly say that we voted for UT. UPA gave Kashmir a central University in 2011, Jammu fought and took a central university. I was a Student Union leader. We demanded a central university in Ladakh, but we didn't get any. PM Modi Ji recently gave us a university, 'Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai'.

"Many have talked about equality in this debate on Article 370. When government grants funds for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, all fund for Ladakh is used for Kashmir. Is this your idea of equality?," says Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal

We don't know if the people for whom the decision has been taken are happy or sad: Akhilesh Yadav.

NCP's Supriya Sule asks the Home Minister where National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, "I sit on seat 462, Farooq Abdullah sits on seat 461. He's elected from J&K, we can't hear him today. This debate will be incomplete if you ask me."

Why didn't you debate and discuss with everyone if you wanted to do this?, asks Supriya Sule, NCP

Bahujan Samaj Party's Girish Chandra and Telugu Rashtra Samithi's Nama Nageswara Rao support the resolution to abrogate the Article 370.

Janata Dal (United) walks out of the Lok Sabha over the Jammu and Kashmir Re organisation Bill.

"I have no information about Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. I appeal to the government that they should not feel isolated," says Mamata Banerjee

We cannot support this bill. They should have spoken to all political parties and the Kashmiris: Mamata Banerjee

Jitender Singh says, "We don't understand why Congress has a contention with this move considering we are only completing what they had failed to. Jawaharlal Nehru had himself said that Article 370 was temporary."

Congress' Manish Tewari reacts saying saying that all decisions are taken collectively and this "cherry-picking" is not correct.

And after 70 years we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves....If Jawaharlal Nehru had allowed his Home Ministry to deal with Jammu and Kashmir as he had done with other states this wouldn't have happened," says Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jitender Singh.

The situation in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir is totally peaceful, amid unprecedented security cover and restrictions.

TMC' Sudip Bandhyopadhyay says, "We feel that Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Farooq Abdullah are arrested unnecessarily. If we take part in the voting of this Bill, we'll become a party to this Bill. So, we have decided to walk out."

"Article370 is a blot on India. It has only created a divided between Jammu Kashmir and the world. No investments, no jobs - what has it given to us. Because of this, the state has remained backwards," Jugal Kishore Sharma, BJP Jammu MP said.

DMK MP, Dayanidhi Maran in Lok Sabha: Mr Farooq Abdullah, a member of this House is missing. He is arrested. We have no intimation. You as a Speaker should protect the members. You should be neutral.

In last 70 yrs, several times we saw demands that union territories be converted into states but this is probably the first time in history that a state has been converted into union territory. There cannot be a bigger blow to federal structure than this, says Tewari.

Manish Tewari: That you can revoke Article 371 tomorrow? By imposing President's rule in the north eastern states, and using the rights of their Assemblies in the Parliament, you can scrap Article 371 too? What kind of Constitutional Precedent are you setting in the country?

Indian constitution does not have only Article 370. It also has Article 371 A to I. They provide special rights to Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra, Sikkim etc. Today when you're scrapping Article 370,what message are you sending to these states? asks Congress.

Section 3 of the Constitution says consultation with assembly should be done before changing the boundaries of any state" Congress leader Manish Tiwari said.

"If anyone protected Kashmiris by sending the forces, if anyone integrated Kashmir with India, it was Jawahar Lal Nehru's govt that did it," Congress leader Manish Tewari says

Parliament has the right to make laws on Jammu & Kashmir, says Amit Shah.

Shah explaining the legal and constitutional basis of the Reorganisation Bill says, "According to Presidential order from yesterday, by Article 370 (1d) all the Centre's laws will apply to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a resolution according to which using Article 370 (3), Article 370 can be scrapped.

"Do you not consider POK as a part of India. We will give our lives for this region. When I say J&K it also includes POK. The boundaries of J&K as mentioned in our constitution includes POK and Aksai Chin," Shah asks Congress.

In response Amit Shah says Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of Union of India. Kashmir ki seema mein PoK bhi aata hai...Jaan de denge iske liye!

S Jaishankar told Mike Pompeo a few days before that Kashmir is a bilateral matter, so don't interfere in it. Can J&K still be an internal matter? We want to know. Entire Congress party wants to be enlightened by you, says Chowdhary.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress, in Lok Sabha: You say that it is an internal matter. But it is being monitored since 1948 by the UN, is that an internal matter? We signed Shimla Agreement & Lahore Declaration, what that an internal matter or bilateral?

Heated debate breaks after Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Ranjan Chowdhury asks the Home Minister to clarify why the issue is being considered only as an internal matter and not a bilateral one.

"I don't think you are thinking about PoK, you violated all rules and converted a state into a Union Territory overnight," Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says in Lok Sabha

Home Minister Amit Shah moves the statutory resolution based on the Presidential Order scrapping Article 370, which accords special status to Jammua and Kashmir.

Congress MP Manish Tewari has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over the prevailing situation in Jammu & Kashmir.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will convene at 11 am.

A meeting of Lok Sabha MPs of Congress party, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, will be held at 10:30 am today in Parliament.

DMK MP P Wilson has given Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over demand to 'increase the retirement age of High Court Judges'.

The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 and The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2019 will be moved for consideration and passing.

Shah will move The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 and The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019 for consideration and passing, later in the day.

Home Minister Amit Shah will move President's Statutory order regarding revocation of Article 370.

Vinayak Bhaurao Raut, Shiv Sena MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg says: "Unfortunately because crores of cases have been pending with the judiciary in the last many years, people are unable to get justice. Like there's a proposal to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court, there is a need to increase the number of judges in lower courts as well."

Meanwhile, in Lok Sabha, the discussion is currently being held in the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2019. YSRCP MP Vanga Geeta Vishwanath pointed out the paucity of judges in both lower and upper courts and sought that the government take immediate steps to fill the vacancies.

The Rajya Sabha voted in favour of the J&K Reorganisation Bill 2019 with 125 votes in favour and 61 votes in against. Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu then adjourned the house till 11 am Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Second Amendment) Bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha. As this article notes, the bill "seeks to extend the 10 percent quota to economically weaker sections to the state, which has special constitutional provisions. After the bill is passed by the Parliament, all residents of the state with income below Rs 8 lakh per annum would benefit from a ten percent quota."

Amit Shah, seeking to address the concerns of the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, said, "Will Article 370 lead to better schools? Will it lead to building of toilets? Will it lead to increase in your salaries? If these had been true, then there may have been reason to retain the provision."

Home minister Amit Shah has introduced the resolution on Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha. The resolution is officially titled the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 2019.

Moving the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passage, Harsha Vardhan said that "A rough estimates says there are about 2,000-3000 surrogacy clinics running illegally in the country and a few thousand foreign couples resort to surrogacy practise within India and the whole issue is thorougly unregulated."

Information and Broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said in the Rajya Sabha, "Why should the people of Kashmir be deprived of opportunities that are available to others? People want peace and progress."

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, "Even today, girls born in Jammu and Kashmir are denied their rights if they marry outside the state. This is gross injustice, and it had never been addressed before. I was hoping that at least for this reason, Opposition parties would support the move."

Some opposition parties termed the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories as a "black blot", with Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad Monday charging the state's head, considered as India's crown, has been "chopped off" and its identity removed.

In remarks that sparked protests in the Rajya Sabha, Congres MP Kapil Sibal said, "Sardar Patel had brought in Article 370. He was ready to give Kashmir to Pakistan. However, he was clear that Junagarh must acede to India."

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha is discussing the Surrogacy Regulation Bill. BJP MP Hema Malini said, "There have been reports about unethical practices, and abandonment of children born from surrogacy. To address these concerns, the govternment has come up with this bill."

Senior Congress leader and former home minister P Chidambaram alleged that the Modi dispensation's move amounted to "constitutional monstrosity" and the decision marks the "beginning of the disintegration of India if the government continues on this path".

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh: Constitution of India had been rewritten without following any legal provisions. Such a historic decision should not have been taken and pushed through in this arbitrary manner.

The Nationalist Congress Party will abstain from voting on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu supports Union Government's decision to revoke Article 370.

Was there any constitutional compulsion to end the statehood of Jammu & Kashmir, asked SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav.

Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav says: "You could've just scrapped Article 370, why was it necessary to make it a Union Territory."

Telugu Desam Party's Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar lauds the Reorganisation Bill saying that this will relieve the people of Jammu and Kashmir from all tensions they've borne over six decades.

"Without consulting the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Article 370 has been taken away. Democracy has been murdered. AIADMK is also supporting the decision which is condemnable," says Stalin.

YSR Congress Party's Vijaysai Reddy says that his party "wholeheartedly" supports the Bill.

BJD MP, Prasanna Acharya in Rajya Sabha: In real sense today, Jammu & Kashmir has become a part of India. My party supports this resolution. We are a regional party but for us nation is first.

BJD supports the government's move to repeal Article 370.

AIADMK's Navaneethakrishnan expresses his party's support for the statutory resolution.

KC Tyagi, JD(U): Our chief Nitish Kumar is carrying forward the tradition of JP Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia & George Fernandes. So our party is not supporting the Bill moved in the Rajya Sabha today. We have different thinking. We want that Article 370 should not be revoked.

Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, BJP MP from Ladakh: I welcome the Bill on behalf of everyone in Ladakh. People there wanted the region to be a Union Territory. People in Ladakh wanted that the region be freed from the dominance & discrimination of Kashmir, that is happening today.

Satish Chandra Mishra, BSP MP, in Rajya Sabha: Our party gives complete support. We want that the Bill be passed. Our party is not expressing any opposition to Article 370 Bill & the other Bill.

Bahujan Samaj Party, YSR Congress may support the government's move to repeal Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

PDP's Mir Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway were asked to go out of the house (Rajya Sabha) after they attempted to tear the constitution.

PDP MPs are tearing up the Constitution in protest against the abrogation of Article 370.

PDP MPs are tearing up the Constitution in protest against the abrogation of Article 370.

Ruckus in Rajya Sbha following Home Minister Amit Shah's announcement that Article 370 granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir will be revoked.

Amit Shah has announced that Article 370, which accords special status to Jammu & Kashmir, will be revoked.

All Bills today are on Kashmir says Amit Shah.

"Entire Kashmir is under curfew. It’s a war like situation. Three CMs are under house arrest. That should be discussed first. Bill can be passed later," says Congress.

Amit Shah has risen to speak over the situation in Kashmir.

Speaker Venkaiah Naidu announces the resignation of three Rajya Sabha Members Samajwadi Party's Surendra Nagar another SP MP Neeraj Shekhar and Congress's Sanjay Sinh.

Peoples Democratic Party MPs have written to RS MPs seeking their support to get answers from the government in Parliament on the situation in Kashmir.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader NK Premchandran and CPI(M) leader AM Arif have given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over Kashmir issue.

DMK MP, TR Baalu has given Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha over Kashmir issue.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives at the Parliament. He will speak in Rajya Sabha at 11 am and in Lok Sabha at 12 pm today.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha has given notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267, demand suspension of business today and discussion over Kashmir issue.

A meeting of Congress MPs in Lok Sabha will be held at 10.30 am in Parliament today.

PDP MP Mohammed Fayaz attacks the BJP saying that the "they are making a mistake". "It is not possible for them to remove Article 35A and 370...we will fight them," he said adding "They are giving Pakistan an opportunity to target us."