Rajya Sabha adjourned till 4 pm, Chairman Dhankhar calls Parliament security breach matter of 'collective concern'
Dec 18, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 18 : Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 4 pm following a ruckus by Opposition MPs demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of the Parliament security breach incident.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar labelled the December 13 incident a matter of 'collective concern' and invited Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to his chamber.
"The security breach incident on December 13 is a matter of collective concern. Incidents of such nature have also occured in the past. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this august institution works in the safest and most conducive atmosphere. A high-level enquiry committee for in-depth investigation incidents and formulating a concrete action plan to ensure that such incidents do not occur has already been constituted by Speaker (of) Lok Sabha," Dhankhar said while slogans continued from the Opposition benches.
He also invited LOP Mallikarjun Kharge to see him in his chamber.
Amid continuing sloganeering, he adjourned the House till 4 pm.
Meanwhile, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry Assemblies for women, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, passed by Lok Sabha last week, were passed by the Upper House amid opposition protests.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanad Rai moved both the Bills.
As the Opposition did not take part in the discussion on these Bills and dropped into the well of the House sloganeering and seeking statement of Shah on December 13 security breach incident, the Upper House passed these Bills through voice vote without any debate.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last week.
The Bill reserves, as nearly as possible, one-third of all elected seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly for women. This reservation will also apply to the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Assembly.
The reservation will be effective once the census conducted after the commencement of this Bill has been published. Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women. The reservation will be in place for 15 years. However, it will continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law made by Parliament.
The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry Assemblies for women. The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha last week.
The Bill reserves one-third of all elected seats in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly for women. This will also apply to the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Assembly.
The reservation will be effective once the census conducted after the commencement of this Bill has been published. Based on the census, delimitation will be undertaken to reserve seats for women. The reservation will be provided for 15 years. However, it will continue till such date as determined by a law made by Parliament.
Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation, as determined by a law made by Parliament.
