Highlights for Day 56 of Narendra Modi government Development Work
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- Category: National Political News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 21:01
Highlights for Day 56 of Narendra Modi government Development Work
Click here to see Narendra Modi 100 Days Agenda
Who is number two in the Modi government? Jaitley or Rajnath
Even as rumor remains rife over who will be selected for the seat next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, government sources say that Home Minister Rajnath Singh has been allotted that seat.
Rajnath getting that seat perhaps is an indication that he is the de-facto number two in the government. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will be announcing the seat allocation for the House soon.
Even though the Home Minister has traditionally been considered second to the PM in hierarchy, there was confusion since senior leader Arun Jaitley holds two big portfolios of Finance and Defence.
Mahajan is also facing a tricky situation in the House with regard to the seat allocation as the AIADMK, Trinamool Congress and BJD are not keen about the idea of sitting next to Congress.
Neither the AIADMK nor the Trinamool Congress and Biju Janata Dal appear to be willing to have seats in Lok Sabha along with Congress, the sources said. Officials concerned have held several rounds of meeting to sort out the matter and the decision is expected this week.
The 16th Lok Sabha has seen BJP winning majority on its own after a gap of three decades and the opposition has become a fragmented entity. While Congress has secured 44 seats in the 543-member House, AIADMK has 37, Trinamool Congress 34 and BJD 20 and there are a host of smaller parties in the opposition.
Law Ministry assures instant clearance of alteration to Juvenile Justice Act
Women and Child Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi has sent the amendments to the Juvenile Justice Act to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad according to sources. Sources say that the Law Minister has assured her of immediate clearance.
Maneka Gandhi had earlier this month pushed for change in the JJ Act. Gandhi had recently opined that juveniles who commit heinous crimes like rape should be treated at par with adults. She said that according to the police, 50 per cent of all sexual crimes were committed by "16-year-olds who know the Juvenile Justice Act so they can do it." She had said that she would bring changes in the law and the process would be personally monitored by her.
Soon after her statement, the Supreme Court had also called for a more stringent Juvenile Justice Act. "You can't have a cut-off date for crime like you have for government jobs," the apex court had said. Questioning the immunity enjoyed by the under-age offenders, SC asked the government to re-visit the law and make necessary changes.
The decision is at odds with the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee, which was formed after the 2012 Delhi gangrape to amend the Criminal Justice Act. A report by the panel stated that the age ceiling of 18 must be maintained as the aim of the Juvenile Justice Act is to reform the child offender.
BJP holds Parliamentary party meet to discuss bills
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today held a parliamentary party meet to discuss the different bills to be tabled in the ongoing session in Parliament. According to sources, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told party MPs that they must heed to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's orders as she is a fellow BJP leader.
Naidu also asked MPs to not introduce cut motions on demands for grants and to not table adjourned motions for suspension of question hour.