Follow Us on Google News
On Monday, both Houses of Parliament passed the Finance Bill 2023, marking the completion of the budgetary process for the session. The Lok Sabha approved the bill, which included an amendment from the version passed last week, while the Rajya Sabha passed it with an amendment moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier in the day. The bill aimed to correct an inadvertent mistake in the Securities Transaction Tax levied on options trading, with the intended rate of 0.0625 replacing the previous rate of 0.05. The STT on futures trading was also increased from 0.017% to 0.021%.
However, the passing of the bill was not without controversy, as opposition members vocally protested during the session. They were demanding a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani issue and protesting the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha. The opposition continued their protests on Monday, which marked the 10th consecutive day of such demonstrations. The Rajya Sabha managed to pass five bills amid the ruckus, including the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No. 2) Bill and the Finance Bill 2023.
Opposition parties, who have been pressing for a JPC probe into the Adani issue, held a black protest against the government on Monday in support of Rahul Gandhi following his disqualification from Lok Sabha. A meeting was held at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in the evening, attended by leaders from 18 parties. They decided to continue their black protest on Tuesday against the BJP-led government over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi and what they see as “trampling upon democracy in the country.” A final decision will be taken in the morning.
The opposition members also took out a march on Monday morning wearing black attire or bands as part of their protest. Days after his disqualification, Rahul Gandhi was sent notice by the Lok Sabha House Committee to vacate his official bungalow. The Congress leader was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur accused Congress of drama over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha and criticized the opposition’s protests.