Parliament Diary

The tenth day of Budget Session saw protests in both Lok
Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the issue of Masarat Alam’s release in Jammu and
Kashmir. Opposition parties demanded a
statement from the Prime Minister on the issue.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Rajnath Singh explained the
government’s position on the issue,and informed both the houses about the steps
taken in this regard. The Minister stated that he was not satisfied with the
Jammu and Kashmir government’s view that Masarat Alam had finished serving his
detention period under the Public Safety Act. 
Further clarifications from the state government have thus been sought about
the release.  

The Prime Minister also spoke about the issue in Lok Sabha
stating that the release was without consultation with or consent from the
Centre.

The Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj expressed
her concern on the floor of upper house about the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s
recent statement regarding shooting of Indian fishermen. Members then discussed
the clarification by the Minister. However, protests in Rajya Sabha resumed and
legislative business could not be taken up.

The lower house today discussed the bill related to the Land
Acquisition Ordinance. A number of members criticized the ordinance on the
grounds that it diluted the Act of 2013. Some key points raised by members were
with respect to the clauses about the exemptions from consent and social impact
assessment for five classes of projects. Members also emphasised that the new Bill
should be sent to the Standing Committee for greater scrutiny. You can read oursummary for more details.

At the time of sending this report, the discussion was
continuing.