Parliament Day 14 Round Up: Oppn Ruckus Over 'Misuse of ED,' 1 Bill Passed in RS

Between protests, walkouts, and war of words, here’s a round-up of what transpired on Day 14 of the Monsoon Session.

The 14th day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament saw low productivity, with the Opposition protesting over the issue of price hike and slamming the ruling government for the ‘misuse of central agencies’ like Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the sealing of the office of Young India on Thursday, 4 August.

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha passed the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill that seeks to grant statutory cover to family courts set up in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Between the protests, walkouts, and war of words, here’s a round-up of what transpired on Day 14 of the Monsoon Session:

• The Congress raised the issue of ED's action in the National Herald case and police gherao of its party office and the residences of party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, with LoP Mallikarjun Kharge saying in the Rajya Sabha that he has been summoned by the ED while the Parliament is in session.

• Mallikarjun Kharge said, “I received ED summon, they called me at 12.30 pm. I want to abide by law, but is it right for them to summon when Parliament is in session? Is it right for police to gherao residences of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi? We won't be scared, we will fight.”

• Responding to the allegations of the Opposition for misusing autonomous bodies to settle political scores, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, said, “Our government does not in any manner interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies and allows them to do their work. Their government used to interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies. Our government has not done anything like this.”

• Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gave a short duration discussion notice in Rajya Sabha on the issue of "the broad and undefined scope of discretion of central investigation agencies such as ED, CBI, I-T etc, being misused to encroach upon civil liberties of political opponents."

• The Rajya Sabha passed the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill that seeks to grant statutory cover to family courts set up in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland. This would retrospectively validate all actions taken by the family courts.

• Raising slogans over the issue of Goods and Services Tax on essential items and inflation, Congress members trooped into the Well of the House while those from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Nationalist Congress Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist), among others, protested by standing at their seats. The Speaker warned that he would have to take action if they continued to stand in the well.

• Congress President Sonia Gandhi got up from her seat in the Lok Sabha and joined her party members’ protest at the well after she received a complaint from DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran that two Congress leaders weren't participating in the protest.

• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari raised the importance of more airbags in cars and informed the Lok Sabha that currently there are no airbags for rear passengers in vehicles. He said that the department is aiming to install two airbags for rear passengers for their safety.