Here are the latest updates:

9.45 am

‘Reinstate MPLADS funds’

Abdul Wahab of the IUML raises the issue of Siddique Kappan’s arrest, asks that he be released.

“Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) funds are the only thing that provides us (Rajya Sabha Members) some credibility. You suspended MPLADS fund for two years but we haven’t got the money for the previous year too,” Mr. Wahab said.

“I don’t know whether the PM has privately taken the vaccine. I request, that lawmakers should also be inoculated at the earliest,” Mr. Wahad said, addng he is a COVID-19 survivor himself.

– Sobhana K. Nair

9.35 am

‘Even the Indo-Pak border doesn’t have such fortification’

Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP said, “To stop the farmers’ movement you have dug up ditches. Let me tell you, you are digging these ditches for yourself. You have laid down spikes on the road. Even the Indo-Pak border doesn’t have such fortification. If you are ready to put these laws in abeyance for 18-months, then why not put these laws away for good? Why don’t you put your ego aside?”

“If you want to give MSP, then why not put that down in print, in the law? The very people you are bringing the law for are saying they don’t want it. And you are insisting on imposing it on them,” he said.

– Sobhana K. Nair

9.30 am

‘If anyone speaks the truth, they are branded as traitors’

Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena said: “Yesterday, Dharmendra Pradhan said, ‘listen to the truth’. For the last six years, we have been hearing falsehoods which have been paraded as truths. Today, if anyone speaks the truth, he is branded as a traitor.”

Mr. Raut named AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to question why they were being branded as traitors. “May be the government has removed all penal sections from the CrPC except for sedition,” he said.

“It is not right for the country that our government is conspiring to malign the farmers’ movement. We are all ashamed by the incidents of January 26. But who is Deep Sidhu, the man responsible for the incident? So many of the farmers are missing since January 26. We don’t know whether the police have killed them in an encounter,” he said.

“Who is a nationalist? Arnab Goswami? Kangana Ranaut? Goswami broke the Official Secrets aAct. He knew beforehand about the Balakot attack. But you are sheltering him,” he said.

“The farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western U.P. are fighting on behalf of farmers from across the nation. They are not traitors. They are not Khalistanis,” he said.

– Sobhana K. Nair

9.20 am

‘Sharad Pawar’s 2007 letter to CMs being needlessly raked up’

Praful Patel of the NCP said, “Centre and States have together fought the COVID-19 pandemic along with the frontline medical workers. I thank them all 1.55 lakh people died in the pandemic and if we were to compare the mortality rate with the other countries we are definitely better placed.”

“Why is our farmer feeling insecure? We need to think about it. We welcome the fact that you are thinking about the progress of farmers. The entire Opposition had urged the government to send the laws to a Select Committee. What was the hurry? If widespread consultations were held, we would not be seeing the spectacle that we are witnessing right now,” Mr. Patel said.

“Many a times a letter of Sharad Pawar has been brought up – the 2007 letter that he wrote to Chief Ministers sending in a model Bill. Eventually, the Bill never came to the Parliament. But the government is needlessly raking up the issue. The model law circulated by Sharad Pawar had more participation from farmers,” Mr. Patel said, listing out the differences between the two laws.

– Sobhana K. Nair

9.10 am

‘Don’t blame God’

Binoy Viswam, CPI, said: “I would like to remind the government of what happened during the locldown. Remember the Railway track where a group of migrant workers were run over in Aurangabad? It is wrong to say that the government did a lot for the migrant. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called COVID-19 an Act of God. Under the BJP, economy has been in shambles even before the pandemic began.”

“I am a non-believer, but I believe in the true believers of all religions. So, I believe that God cannot be so cruel. God was not the culprit. Don’t blame the God,” he said.

The rescue package announced by the Finance Minister didn’t reach the people. It was just a gimmick. The package was for ₹20 lakh crore but I am sure the actual expenditure was just 2 lakh crore. We need Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme,” Mr. Viswam said.

– Sobhana K. Nair

9 am

253rd Session of the Rajya Sabha convenes

Rajya Sabha MPs Mary Kom (nominated), K.K. Ragesh (CPI(M)) and Oscar Fernandes(Congress) have sought leave.

Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said some of the Members exceeded their time. “So the time will be reduced from their party’s qouta.”

When Members start complaining, Mr. Naidu said, “I am not going to bargain.”

The discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address is scheduled end today.

– Sobhana K. Nair

Agenda

Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha will hold a discussion on Motion of Thanks on the President’s address.

On February 3, five extra hours were added to the duration of discussion in Rajya Sabha on the motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of Parliament to allow debate on the farmers’ protest against the three agri-reform legislations.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned four times yesterday amid uproar by opposition members over the three new farm laws.