The strength of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha has increased. Seven MPs, including Raghav Chadha who left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join the BJP, have received formal approval from Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. Following this, the number of BJP MPs in the Rajya Sabha rose from 106 to 113. On Monday, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat released an updated list of all party MPs in the house, which included the names of these seven leaders in the BJP MPs list.

This has provided the BJP with greater political strength in the upper house. Notably, the MPs who joined the BJP on April 24 include Raghav Chadha, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Dr. Vikramjeet Singh Sahni, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta.

All of them have now officially become part of the BJP parliamentary party. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed this development on the social media platform X, stating that Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan has accepted the merger of the seven AAP MPs into the BJP.

Now, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikramjeet Singh Sahni are members of the BJP parliamentary party. Rijiju also praised the conduct of these MPs, noting that they have never used indecent language or engaged in any indiscipline or un-parliamentary behavior. He described this as an example of positive politics.

He further stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, everyone is welcome in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for nation-building. He also targeted the opposition alliance, suggesting they should say goodbye to the 'tukde-tukde' coalition. Political analysts believe that this development will strengthen the BJP's position in the Rajya Sabha and may provide the party with a strategic advantage in upcoming legislative activities, especially at a time when the strength in the upper house plays a decisive role in the passage of several important bills.

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New Delhi, August 22 – Security at the Indian Parliament was breached once again on Friday when a man managed to scale a tree, jump over the boundary wall, and enter the premises. He was soon apprehended by security personnel and is currently being questioned.

The incident occurred a day after the monsoon session of Parliament concluded. According to officials, the intruder entered around 6:30 a.m., climbing the wall from the Rail Bhavan side and making his way toward the Garud Dwar of the new Parliament building. Security staff spotted him wandering inside the complex and immediately detained him.

As per agency report, this is not the first time Parliament security has been compromised. Last year, a 20-year-old man entered the Parliament annexe, an incident captured in a video showing him in shorts and a T-shirt being detained by CISF personnel. No objectionable items were found in his possession.

In December 2023, a major lapse occurred on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack, when two men, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, disrupted Lok Sabha proceedings by leaping from the visitors’ gallery and releasing yellow smoke inside the chamber. At the same time, two associates, Neelam Azad and Amol Shinde, set off smoke devices outside while shouting slogans. MPs inside the House overpowered the intruders.

Altogether, six people were arrested in that case, including Mahesh Kumawat and Lalit Jha, with Jha identified as the mastermind. Delhi Police later filed a chargesheet exceeding 900 pages in the Patiala House Court detailing the security lapse.

The latest incident has once again raised serious concerns about Parliament’s security apparatus and its preparedness to prevent repeat breaches. Would you like me to also prepare a crisp 200-word version of this update for your English portal?

New Delhi, March 21 – Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted in the Rajya Sabha that India will be completely free from Naxalism by March 31, 2026. Responding to a discussion on the functioning of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Shah emphasized that the government's comprehensive and strategic efforts have significantly weakened Naxal activity across the country.

As per agency report, Shah credited the decline in Naxalite violence to a three-pronged strategy of dialogue, security, and coordination. He explained that the government utilized modern technology to track Naxal activities through mobile data, social media monitoring, courier surveillance, and family movements. These insights were used to equip security forces with precise intelligence.

Shah cited comparative statistics to highlight the reduction in violence. Between 2004 and 2014, during the Congress-led government, there were 16,463 incidents of Naxal violence. In contrast, incidents have dropped by 53 percent over the last decade. He further stated that security personnel fatalities decreased by 73 percent from 1,851 to 509, and civilian deaths declined by 70 percent from 4,766 to 1,495.

Referring to recent developments in Chhattisgarh, Shah noted that since the BJP came to power in the state in December 2023, a total of 2,619 Naxalites have either surrendered or been neutralized within one year. He highlighted that areas once unreachable are now secured by the presence of Indian forces and that many high-ranking Naxalite leaders with substantial bounties have been eliminated.

Shah also mentioned the government's developmental efforts in Naxal-affected areas, including the opening of 1,000 bank branches, 937 ATMs, and 5,731 post offices over the last five years. He stated that such infrastructural expansion, along with flexible policies for surrender and rehabilitation, has weakened the ideological base of the movement.

Emphasizing the government's determination, Shah said that earlier declarations about ending Naxalism were often mocked, but under the current leadership, he was confident the country would soon be free of this internal security challenge.

He further described Naxalism, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, and insurgency in the Northeast as three persistent wounds affecting national security. He said that these conflicts together have claimed over 92,000 civilian lives over the past four decades. However, he asserted that the Narendra Modi government has made the most systematic and coordinated efforts to address all three challenges effectively.

New Delhi, March 21 – The issue of alleged cash recovery from the residence of a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar assured members that he would seek a mechanism to facilitate a structured discussion on the matter during the ongoing session.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh brought up the matter during the morning session, expressing concern over judicial accountability and also reminding the Chair of a pending notice for the impeachment of a judge from the Allahabad High Court. He referred to the reports about the shocking discovery of large amounts of cash from the Delhi High Court judge's residence and called on the government to bring forth a proposal to strengthen judicial accountability.

Ramesh reminded the House that more than 50 Members of Parliament had previously submitted a notice related to controversial remarks made by a judge from the Allahabad High Court. He noted that the Chairman himself has frequently highlighted the urgency of ensuring judicial accountability.

Responding to the issue, Chairman Dhankhar expressed concern that such a serious development did not come to public light immediately. He remarked that if a similar incident had involved a politician, bureaucrat, or industrialist, the reaction would have been swift and widespread. He emphasized the need for a systemic response that is transparent, accountable, and effective in such cases.

As per agency report, the Chairman informed the House that he would consult both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition to explore a framework for structured deliberation on the issue during the current session.

The allegations of cash recovery relate to Justice Yashwant Varma, and according to reports, the Supreme Court Collegium has decided to transfer him back to his parent High Court in Allahabad.

On the subject of the impeachment motion, Dhankhar confirmed that he had received a representation from 55 members of the Rajya Sabha. He stated that all necessary steps have been taken to verify the identities of the signatories and that most members have responded positively, aiding him in fulfilling his duties.

He appealed to the remaining members who had not yet responded to the verification emails to do so at the earliest. The Chairman made it clear that if more than 50 verified signatures are confirmed, he would proceed accordingly without delay. He also informed the House that one member’s signature had appeared twice and the member had denied signing the second time.

New Delhi, June 28 (HS): Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till Monday on Friday due to the opposition's demand for discussion on the NEET issue. The opposition wanted the government to discuss the NEET issue, while the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that only the motion of thanks is discussed after the President's address.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice. At the beginning of the proceedings, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi demanded to put forth his point on the NEET issue. Due to this, the proceedings were adjourned till 12 o'clock. When the proceedings resumed at 12 o'clock, the opposition again raised the same issue. On this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that there has been no tradition of discussing any other topic after the President's address. After this, only the motion of thanks is discussed. Seeing the uproar increasing, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till Monday.

Earlier in the morning, the Lok Sabha Speaker paid tribute to the late former MPs. He paid tributes to Brahmananda Mandal, Jaibhadra Singh, D. Venugopal Manohar Joshi, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman Burke, CPM Giriyappa, A. Ganeshamurthy, Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar, Rajveer Diler, V. Srinivas Prasad, M. Selvaraj, Sushil Kumar Modi and Prataprao B Bhosale. When the House resumed, Trinamool Congress member SK Nurul Islam took the oath. Due to ill health, he took the oath from his own seat.

Delhi/Kota, June 25 (HS): Om Birla, elected for the third time from Kota-Bundi Lok Sabha constituency of Rajasthan, filed his nomination on Tuesday as the candidate for the post of Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha on behalf of the ruling BJP-led NDA. Opposition has filed Congress MP from Kerala K. Suresh.

There was a wave of happiness among the BJP leaders and workers of entire Rajasthan including Hadoti division when Birla, who was the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, was made the candidate for the post of Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. About three and a half decades ago, Congress' Balram Jakhar from Rajasthan was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha twice.

Om Birla was born on 23 November 1962 in Kota. His karmabhoomi has always been Kota. He considers the people of Kota-Bundi as his family. His late father Shri Krishna Birla was in government service, mother Shakuntala used to take care of the house. He received his schooling from Government Multipurpose School, Gumanpura. After that, he took B.Com. and M.Com. degrees from Government Commerce College Kota, affiliated to Rajasthan University. In college too, he was popular among the youth as the student union president. After that, he was also a BJP MLA from Kota South twice. His wife Dr. Amita Birla is a government doctor. Of the two daughters, Akanksha is a CA and Anjali is an Indian Administrative Service officer.

Om Birla, as the Speaker from 2019 to 2023, gave full opportunity to the MPs of all parties to put forth their views in the House, apart from uproar and controversies in the Lok Sabha. This developed a tradition of healthy debate on important bills and issues of public interest. Under Birla's efficient management, the productivity of the sessions of the 17th Lok Sabha was 122.2 percent, which is the highest compared to the first five sessions of the 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha. The House passed 107 bills after detailed discussion. The bills were discussed for 262.5 hours and 1744 members of the ruling and opposition parties put forth their views.

Birla gave the opportunity to speak to as many members as possible in all sessions to increase the accountability of the central government. During the Question Hour, he gave oral answers to an average of 5.37 questions per day, which led to him being called the hero of the Question Hour. The government also answered 89.82 percent of the topics raised under Rule 377. By eliminating the subsidy on food for MPs in Parliament and stopping the expenditure on unnecessary works, he reduced wasteful expenditure of crores of rupees. Birla is considered certain to become the Speaker of the Lok Sabha for the second consecutive time.

Surat : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Wednesday, with several notable names attracting attention. Meanwhile, BJP President JP Nadda will be heading to the Upper House from Gujarat, along with a diamond businessman sparking surprise and debate. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who recently switched sides from Congress, secured a nomination from his home state.

Familiar Faces and Political Shifts:

In Gujarat, Nadda's candidature was anticipated, solidifying his leadership role. However, the most discussed name is Govind Dholakia, a prominent diamond businessman from Surat with no prior political experience. His nomination highlights BJP's efforts to broaden its base and potentially cater to specific business interests.

Chavan's inclusion marks a significant political shift in Maharashtra. The ex-Congress leader's nomination reflects BJP's strategy to consolidate its position in the state. Medha Kulkarni and Ajit Gopachade join him as the party's representatives from Maharashtra.

Social Service and Industry Representation:

Dholakia, known as "Bhamashah" in the industry, enjoys recognition for his philanthropy and social contributions, including a substantial donation to the Ram temple construction. Former GJEPC president Dinesh Navadia welcomed the move, citing the diamond industry's long-standing lack of political representation.

New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s devotion and strict adherence to ascetic rituals, as suggested under ‘Yam Niyam’, saying he started the ‘Bhakti ka Andalon’ ahead of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at the grand Ram Temple complex.

Speaking on the discussion on Ram Temple construction and Ram Lalla’s consecration in the Lok Sabha, the Home Minister said, “PM Modi started Bhakti ka Aandolan instead of politicisation of consecration ceremony,” adding that the Opposition should have taken lessons from it.

Shah said that PM Modi led the nation in paying obeisance to Lord Ram and strictly followed ‘Yam Niyam’ for full 11 days which included “sleeping on the floor, consuming only coconut water and hearing Ram Bhajans in various languages".

Blasting the Opposition and naysayers for constantly finding fault and playing with the beliefs of 140 crore people, Shah advised them not to behave like ‘havan mein haddi’, as goes a proverb in Gujarati.

The Home Minister said that when the Supreme Court, in its historic August 5 order, gave the go-ahead for the construction of Ram Temple, the rival parties resorted to fear-mongering, claiming that riots will pan out across the country.

“They forgot that this is the Modi government. The entire journey, from ground-breaking ceremony to Pran Pratishtha, happened in a peaceful environment and today the entire nation is celebrating the joyous occasion,” Shah said amid cheers and bench-thumping by the treasury benches.

Further revealing the rationale behind not naming the Ayodhya airport after Lord Ram, the Home Minister said it was done at the insistence of PM Modi.

“It was a popular proposal to name it (the airport) after Lord Ram and the family members, including Raja Dashrath, but the Prime Minister was clear on identifying and crediting the role of everyone, including Lord Hanuman, Maharishi Valmiki, squirrel and more," he told the House.

New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Addressing the last sitting of the 17th Lok Sabha on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the resolution passed by the House on the Ram Temple will give the future generations constitutional strength to feel proud of the country’s values.

The views that were expressed by the members during the discussion in this House sent out the message of “sensitivity, resolution, sympathy, and sabka saath sabka vikas”, Modi said amid ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans from the ruling party benches.

“Everyone does not have the courage, and as a result they run away,” the PM said, taking a swipe at the Congress, which had stayed away from the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Lalla at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Ahead of Modi’s address, the Lok Sabha passed a resolution following an animated discussion on the “the construction of the historic Shri Ram Temple and Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ram”.

Taking a jibe again at the opposition members, Modi said the elections are not very far and a few might be nervous because of the same.

"However, it is a fact that our elections are an essential aspect of our democratic traditions. The elections will elevate the pride of the country and follow the democratic tradition," he said, adding that the world is surprised by India's strong democratic traditions.

In his last speech in the Lok Sabha before the 2024 general elections, Modi recalled the success of India’s G20 Presidency.

“India got the opportunity of G20 Presidency which was a great honour for the country. Even the states of the country displayed their capability and identified with the whole world during the G20 meetings and programmes," the Prime Minister said, adding, “The impact of what the states displayed continues to be there in the mind of the world even today.”

Recalling the list of achievements of the 17th Lok Sabha, the PM said that repeal of Article 370 was one of the decisions for which many generations waited for long.

Article 370 was scrapped during the term of this Lok Sabha in August 2019.

“I feel that those who drafted the Constitution will be showering blessings on us for this,” Modi pointed out.

"It is a matter of great satisfaction to fulfil the commitment that we made to the brothers and sisters of Jammu and Kashmir," the Prime Minister said.

"We made strict laws to eliminate terrorism that used to take the lives of innocent people earlier. The new laws that this House made give everyone courage and confidence now," he added.

New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was on Monday adjourned till Tuesday morning and a total of 45 MPs have been suspended from the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote for the rest of the Winter Session.

The Opposition MPs have been demanding a detailed statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in both the Houses over the December 13 Parliament security breach issue.

The Upper House suspended a total of 34 Opposition MPs, including the Congress' MP Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala; the Trinamool Congress’ Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Santanu Sen and the RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha.

Besides them, even MPs including Pramod Tiwari, Amee Yajnik, Naranbhai J Rathwa, Syed Naseer Hussain, Phulo Devi Netam, Shaktisinh Gohil, Rajani Patil, Ranjeet Ranjan, Imran Pratapgarhi, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Mohammad Nadimul Haque, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Santanu Sen, Mausam Noor, Prakash Chik Baraik, Samirul Islam, M Shanmugam, NR Elango, Kanimozhi NVM Somu, R Girirajan, Faiyaz Ahmad, V Sivadasan, Ram Nath Thakur, Aneel Prasad Hegde, Vandana Chavan, Ram Gopal Yadav, Javed Ali Khan, Mahua Maji, Jose K Mani, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan have been suspended for the remainder of the session. Meanwhile, the matter of suspension of the 11 Rajya Sabha MPs was referred to the Privilege Committee. The MPs whose names have been referred to the Privilege Committee include Jebi Mather Hisham, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, GC Chandrashekhar, Binoy Viswam, Sandosh Kumar P, M Mohamed Abdulla, John Brittas and AA Rahim.

After announcing the suspension of the 45 MPs, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that many members are deliberately ignoring the Chair.

"The House is not functioning due to disruption," he said.

Following the suspension of the Opposition, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day. Earlier in the day, 33 MPs from the Lok Sabha were also suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session including Leader of Congress in the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The Opposition has been demanding a statement by Amit Shah on the Parliament security breach case in which a total of six people have been arrested. The security breach coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack.

New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the Parliament security breach case, on charges of criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence, official sources said.

He will be produced before the Patiala House Court later in the day and police are likely to seek his custody to interrogate him.

On Thursday, after Lalit Jha and Mahesh reached Kartavya Path police station and surrendered, both were taken to the Special Cell for investigation.

Jha was placed under arrested, while Mahesh was detained for questioning. During the inquiry, Kailash's involvement emerged, leading to his detention.

Jha, identified as the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy, was reportedly present outside Parliament, accompanied by Mahesh and Kailash, both of whom have now been apprehended by police and are being grilled.

Mahesh had communicated with Jha and others through a Facebook group named 'Bhagat Singh Fan Page.'

New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) The investigation into Wednesday’s Parliament security breach has revealed that one of the six accused, 35-year-old Manoranjan D, had attended a Budget Session held in the old Parliament building to observe the security protocols at that time and discovered lapses.

“During his last visit he came to know that shoes are not checked properly. So, on Wednesday he along with Sagar Sharma entered the Parliament building with smoke canisters hidden in their shoes,” said sources privy to the investigation.

The four accused arrested, inside and outside Parliament, have been identified as Manoranjan D, a resident of Mysuru, Sagar Sharma, a resident of Lucknow, Neelam, a resident of Haryana's Jind, and Amol Shinde, a resident of Maharashtra's Latur.

The fifth accused, identified as Vikram a.k.a Vicky Sharma, a resident of Gurugram Sector-7 and a native of Hisar is being grilled by the investigators.

As per the initial probe, it was also revealed that Manoranjan and Sagar Sharma had visitors' passes for 45 minutes but they stayed in the visitors' gallery for close to two hours.

Sharma got his visitor's pass issued on the reference of Karnataka's Mysuru BJP MP, Pratap Simha.