Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE: Please follow this space and keep refreshing the page for all the latest updates on the Monsoon session of the 18th Lok Sabha. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are anticipated to witness a tumultuous session on Wednesday, with protests and verbal confrontations between the Treasury and Opposition benches over the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on July 23, as well as the UPSC aspirants’ deaths in a coaching centre in Delhi.
BJP leader Anurag Thakur’s apparent reference to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s caste during a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday triggered an ugly spat between the opposition and treasury benches. Gandhi accused Thakur of insulting and abusing him during the debate but asserted that he would not seek any apology from the former Union minister.
Questioning the Congress’ stand on caste census, the BJP leader made certain remarks on Gandhi’s caste that triggered the uproar and had Congress members trooping into the Well of the Lok Sabha.
“Anurag Thakur insulted me and I don’t want any apology from him. Abuse or insult me as hard as you can but don’t forget we will pass the caste census in this Parliament for sure,” the Leader of the Opposition said.
Launching a scathing attack on Gandhi for his “chakravyuh” jibe at the BJP-led government a day earlier, Thakur cited purported portions from a book authored by Shashi Tharoor to hit out at successive Congress governments since 1947 and alleged the former Congress chief misinterpreted his position of LoP as “leader of propaganda”.
Thakur also took a jibe at Gandhi, who stood up twice to counter his remarks targeting the previous Congress governments. The BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur claimed that Gandhi had already made his remarks but sought permission to speak again after someone passed a chit to him.
“Udhaar ki buddhi se rajniti nahi chalti (You can’t indulge in politics on borrowed wisdom),” Thakur said. The former Union minister said one of the synonyms for lotus is Rajiv, the name of Rahul Gandhi’s father and former prime minister. “You linked lotus with violence. Does that mean you also link Rajiv with violence,” the BJP member asked.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 22 with the key highlight being the tabling of the Union Budget on July 23. The session is set to have 19 sittings scheduled in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha till August 12.
Please stay tuned for all the latest updates pertaining to the Monsoon Session of Parliament
