Parliament roundup: On day 7, Rahul demands Centre to provide compensation to kin of farmers & more

New Delhi, Dec 7: The deadlock over the suspension of 12 MPs has continued in Rajya Sabha as the opposition parties have remained firm on their stand on the issue on the seventh day in the ongoing Winter Session. Also, leaders held 'dharna' in Parliament premises by holding up placards demanding revocation of the action taken.

The Rajya Sabha has been witnessing back to back adjournments since the commencement of the winter session and it remained the same on Tuesday.

Whereas in Lok Sabha, Congress targeted the government over the year-long agitation by farmers against the three farm laws, which was withdrawn, last week. Here is the round-up of day seven:

Rahul demands compensation, jobs for kin of farmers killed during farm laws stir

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday demanded compensation and jobs from the Centre for the next of kin of farmers who died during the year-long agitation against the three farm laws on the borders of the national capital. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Gandhi slammed the Modi government for its inability to maintain data on the death of farmers during the year-long agitation and tabled a list of farmers who were paid compensation and given jobs in Punjab and Haryana.

Congress members demanded a statement from the government on the issue and walked out of the House along with NCP and DMK members while raising slogans against the government. "Around 700 farmers died in farmers' agitation. The prime minister apologised to the farmers and accepted his mistake. On November 30, agriculture minister was asked a question - 'how many farmers died in the agitation? Agriculture minister said he had no data," the Congress member said.

"We found out that Punjab government has paid compensation of Rs five lakh each to more than 400 farmers. Of these 400 farmers, 152 have also been given jobs. I have one more list of 70 farmers from Haryana," Gandhi said. "The prime minister had apologised and your government is saying that no farmer has died or you do not have the list of farmers. These are the names here," the former Congress president said before submitting the lists in Lok Sabha. "I want that the farmers be given their rights. The prime minister has already apologised. Now, farmers should get compensation and jobs," the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad said.

Govt responsible for deadlock in RS: Kharge

Holding the government responsible for the deadlock in the Rajya Sabha, opposition members on Tuesday said they will continue with their joint protests against the suspension of 12 MPs till the time it is revoked.

Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the suspension is against rules and undemocratic. He said they will continue to protest in support of the suspended members and sit on a dharna with them and also urge Lok Sabha members to sit in support with them.

"The government is fully responsible for the deadlock in Rajya Sabha. We have been meeting the chairman and the government and have stressed that they cannot suspend members like this. They have wrongly and undemocratically suspended 12 MPs for what has happened during the previous Monsoon session," he said.

Kharge said they have to first name each member separately and tell why each of them has been suspended and only then can the suspension take place and that too should have happened in August 11.

"When the House is prorogued, the government has no right to suspend the members anymore for the previous session. Their action of suspension is neither as per rules nor per the Constitution.

We will not Allow Any Dictatorship

"It seems the government's intention is clear of not allowing the House to function.Till the time their suspension is revoked, our fight will continue," Kharge said.

"We will not allow our voice to be throttled. This has no place in democracy and we will not allow any dictatorship. Modi ji wants to run Parliament with dictatorship. We will not allow this to happen," he alleged. Twelve Opposition MPs -- six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M) -- were suspended from Rajya Sabha last Monday for the entire Winter Session of Parliament for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August.

PM Modi raises issue of attendance of MPs in Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday emphasised on the attendance of party MPs in Parliament, saying if they don't transform themselves, there could be changes with time, sources said. The prime minister made the remarks at the BJP parliamentary party meeting at the Ambedkar International Centre here, the sources told PTI.

Sharing the details of the meeting, which was for the first time held outside Parliament complex, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the prime minister told party MPs that all of them should organise sports competitions in their respective constituencies. On the issue of attendance, the prime minister said party MPs should regularly attend Parliament proceedings and remarked that when children are pointed out an issue again and again, even they don't repeat it.

The Prime Minister told MPs to change themselves, otherwise change would happen with time, the sources said. The poor attendance of BJP MPs has been flagged by Modi many times in the past also.

At the meeting BJP President J P Nadda asked party MPs to call district presidents and presidents of mandals from their respective constituencies for tea and interact with them Similarly, the Prime Minister will call district presidents from his constituency Varanasi on December 14. At the start of the meeting, tribal MPs including Union Minister Arjun Munda felicitated Prime Minister Modi for celebrating Birsa Munda's birthday as 'Jan Jatiya Diwas'. A book compiling the work done by various ministers on the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was also distributed among BJP MPs.

Amendment to births and deaths act to include provision for unified database

The government has brought out a draft amendment to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act to include a provision for unified database of civil registration records in states and integration with database at the national level, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

In response to a question seeking to know if the government is considering to maintain birth and death registration data at the national level, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said a draft amendment to Registration of Births & Deaths (RBD) Act, 1969 was placed in public domain from October 18 to December 2 for comments.

The draft amendment inter alia includes a provision for "maintaining a unified database of civil registration records at State level and for integration with the database at national level," he said. "It also includes the provision to use the database of births and deaths to update various databases," he said.

Why BSF Jurisdiction Increased?

Extension in territorial jurisdiction of BSF in some States is aimed at empowering BSF to discharge border guarding duties more effectively in wake of use of technology like drones, unmanned aerial vehicle, etc by anti-national forces for surveillance & smuggling, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in response to a question asked by Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi.