Parliament roundup: LS deadlock ends as 4 Cong MPs' suspension is revoked & more

New Delhi, Aug 01: After witnessing two repeated adjournments in both Houses of Parliament over ruckus created by Opposition leaders on various issues, the Parliament passed a few bills on Monday.

Earlier, the opposition targeted the government over inflation, hike in GST prices, and suspension of Congress MPs, among other issues.

While the Opposition parties demanded the suspension of four Congress MPs be revoked in the Lower House, in Rajya Sabha, the Opposition continued sloganeering and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a discussion over price rise. To this, Bhubaneswar Kalita, presiding in the Chair, responded that the matter would be taken up tomorrow.

The Opposition also slammed the government in the Rajya Sabha over the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

Here are the highlights of day 11:

LS deadlock ends
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday revoked the suspension of four Congress members, after party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said it was not the intention of the opposition to hurt the chair. The Congress members were suspended last Monday for the rest of the session for protesting and carrying placards inside the House.

The suspension of Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, T N Prathapan and S Jothimani was revoked after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi moved a motion to the effect, which was approved by the House. After the revocation of suspension, the House took up discussion on price rise which was initiated by Congress member Manish Tewari.

Parliament Passes Bill to Ban Funding of WMDs
Parliament passed a bill which seeks to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction and also empower the Centre to freeze, seize or attach financial assets and economic resources of people engaged in such activities. The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, piloted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was passed with a voice vote even as opposition parties continued their protest on various issues, including against arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

The bill was approved by the Lok Sabha in April. The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, passed in 2005, only banned manufacture of weapons of mass destruction. The Bill seeks to insert a new Section 12A in the existing law which states that "no person shall finance any activity which is prohibited under this Act, or under the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947 or any other relevant Act for the time being in force, or by an order issued under any such Act, in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems."

RS passes Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022
Parliament passed a bill which seeks to extend the application of domestic laws to research stations set up by India in the Antarctic region. The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022, piloted in the Upper House by Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh, was passed with a voice vote after a brief discussion amid a protest by Opposition on various issues, including the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

The Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 seeks to extend the application of domestic laws to research stations set up by India in the Antarctic region. India has two active research stations in the Antarctic -- Maitri and Bharti -- where scientists are involved in research.

The bill proposes to prohibit Indian expedition to Antarctica without a permit or written authorisation of another party to the Antarctic Treaty, provides for inspection by an officer appointed by the government and for penalty for contravention of certain provisions of the legislation. It also seeks to constitute a fund for the welfare of Antarctic research work and protection of the environment of the icy continent. The House was adjourned after passage of the bill to meet Tuesday.

Law will take its own course: Goyal on Oppn protests against Raut arrest
With the Opposition targeting the government in the Rajya Sabha over the arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, the ruling BJP said Monday the government does not interfere in the work of enforcement agencies and that law will take its own course.

"We are law-makers, not law-breakers," the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal told reporters amid disruption in the House caused by the Opposition's protests over Raut's arrest and other issues. Parliamentarians are meant to legislate and the agencies assigned to enforce laws are doing their work, he said.

Taking a swipe at Opposition parties, Goyal said they might have interfered in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies when they were in power. This is not the case with BJP governments either at the Centre or in states, he claimed.