Parliament Budget Session live: Congress moves motion to discuss Dr BR Ambedkar's ‘insult’

Congress MP Randeep Surjewala has moved a notice of motion to discuss "disrespect" towards Constitution, Dr BR Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha.

Proceedings of both houses begin for the day.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said that the government is not listening to the opposition on Waqf bill.

“You rejected all 44 amendments from the opposition and accepted all the amendments from the ruling party. You are not listening to us. Was this a JPC or a formality?” he told ANI.

Congress has said it will raise issues such as inflation, unemployment, the Maha Kumbh stampede and the alleged insult to B.R. Ambedkar.

It also asserted that the INDIA bloc is united in raising these issues in Parliament.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will take up Motion of Thanks on President’s Address today. The session started with President Droupadi Murmu's address to both the houses.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the new income tax bill, to be presented in Parliament next week, will modernise the IT Act to suit the 21st century. In an interview, she emphasised that the tax relief introduced in the Union Budget aims to honor honest taxpayers. She stressed the importance of widening the tax base, noting that taxes shouldn't burden the small base.

The ongoing budget session is scheduled in two phases and will end on April 4.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah to introduce a Bill in Lok Sabha today to establish the Institute of Rural Management Anand, as a University to be known as the “ Tribhuvan” Sahkari University and to declare the same as an institution of national importance, to impart technical and management education and training in the co-operative sector.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore gives Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the "non-release of outstanding wage dues amounting to ₹1,056 Crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Tamil Nadu".

"I urge the Government to take immediate action to release the outstanding dues and approve the revised labour budget for Tamil Nadu," reads the notice

Apart from Hussain, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has alleged that parts of his dissent note on the JPC report were deleted. According to him, they just ‘stated facts’

"I had submitted a detailed dissent note to JPC against Waqf Bill. It is shocking that parts of my note were redacted without my knowledge. The deleted sections were not controversial, they only stated facts," he said on X.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain has alleged that parts of his dissent note on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 were redacted without his consent.

Taking to social media platform X on Saturday, Hussain expressed strong disapproval over what he described as an attempt to suppress Opposition voices.

"As a Member of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, I had submitted a detailed dissent note opposing the Bill. Shockingly, parts of my dissent note have been redacted without my knowledge! The Joint Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was already reduced to a farce, but now they've stooped even lower--censoring dissenting voices of Opposition MPs! What are they so scared of? Why this attempt to silence us?" Hussain wrote.

According to the List of Business, Jagdambika Pal, the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, along with BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, will present the report (Hindi and English versions) of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

They will also lay on the table the record of evidence given before the Joint Committee.

The Jagdambika Pal-led Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, will on Monday be tabled in Parliament.