Kiren Rijiju

Kiren Rijiju accuses Congress of 'diluting' provisions of Constitution

The important provisions of the constitution were amended to suit and protect the Congress family, the Union Minister added

Congress did not give Ambedkar his due, says Rijiju during debate in LS

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday tore into the Congress for not giving BR Ambedkar his due, as he questioned the opposition's claims that minorities were being denied their rights. Intervening in the debate in the Lok Sabha on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the parliamentary affairs minister cautioned that "our words and actions should not diminish the image of the country in the world fora". Rijiju was the first speaker on the second day of the debate in the Lower House. While India has given equal voting rights to all, some claim that minorities have no rights in the country, Rijiju said in an apparent jibe at the opposition. In his over an hour-long speech, Rijiju suggested that the Congress should "apologise" to Ambedkar to "lessen its sins". He alleged that "you" (apparently the Congress) made Ambedkar lose in the 1952 parliamentary polls. Rijiju also questioned the delay in bestowing Ambedkar with the Bharat Ratna and asserted that the chief architect

Uproar over Mahua's reference to judge Loya's death, Rijiju warns of action

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's reference to the death of judge B H Loya "long before his time" created uproar in Lok Sabha on Friday as Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused her of raising a matter settled by the Supreme Court, and warned of "appropriate parliamentary action". Participating in a debate on 75 years of the Indian Constitution, Moitra made a passing, but contentious, remarks on Loya's death as she attacked the ruling BJP for allegedly targeting institutions and opposition leaders to silence critical voices. The House was adjourned briefly twice due to the uproar over the matter. BJP member Nishikant Dubey first raised the issue after her speech was over. He also objected to her criticism of former chief justice of India D Y Chandrachud, who recently retired, for a host of reasons, including receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence during the Ganapati festival. Dubey accused Moitra of making insinuation about Loya's death. Rijiju said the case is .

Rijiju calls for unity against anti-India forces, urges Congress to act

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday urged all political parties, including the Congress, to unite against anti-India forces, and raise their voice if they find their leaders working against the country's interest. His remarks come a day after the BJP alleged that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has links to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation and which has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation. Addressing reporters here, Rijiju said anybody found to be working with anti-India forces must be countered unitedly by all political parties. "I wish to tell the leaders and workers of the Congress that even if their own party leaders are found to be working in tandem with anti-India forces, they should raise their voice against them," Rijiju said. The minister also said that the government had informed the Congress that discussion on the Constitution will be taken up in the Lok Sabha on December 13-14 and in the Rajya Sabha on ...

Oppn MPs, Rahul Gandhi, stage walkout in Lok Sabha over Sambhal violence

Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday staged a brief walkout from the House over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav rose from his seat and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject. "This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav was heard saying. As the Speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, Yadav and his party colleagues started to walk out in protest. Some SP members, meanwhile, rushed to the Well, raising slogans. While the SP members were protesting in the Well of the House, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the SP protest. NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the Samajwadi Party MPs. Some of the

High-stakes Constitution debate set for Dec 13-17 in Parliament's winter session

The ongoing winter session of Parliament, which commenced on November 25, has been marked by frequent adjournments, with both houses facing early disruptions

Centre to meet party floor leaders today ahead of Parl's winter session

On the eve of Parliament's Winter Session, the government will meet floor leaders of political parties on Sunday to ensure the smooth functioning of the House against the backdrop of the BJP and its rival alliance's surprise victories in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, respectively. The meeting has been convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, leaders of Congress, Trinamool, DMK, Shiv Sena, BJD and others are expected to join the deliberations. The Winter Session of Parliament, beginning Monday, is scheduled to last till December 20. The government has listed 16 bills, including the Waqf Amendment Bill, for consideration, while the opposition is keen to raise the issues of the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur and the indictment of businessman Gautam Adani by a US court on allegations of bribery. Several opposition leaders have said they will raise the issue of the indictment of Adani in Parliament with Leader of the Opposition Rahul ..

Standard of debates dropped since Rahul Gandhi's entry in Lok Sabha: Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijuju on Saturday said that the standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Parliament. Addressing a press conference, the Union minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, who is here to campaign for the November 20 Maharashtra election, said there is an undercurrent in favour of the BJP and Mahayuti, and the Ladki Bahin scheme will benefit the ruling alliance. "The standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Rahul Gandhi's arrival. We have people who can talk and debate, but the Congress seems to have no one, and those who want to debate are afraid of Rahul Gandhi," he said. Rijiju claimed that many senior Congress MPs have told him they want debates and discussions, but the Leader of Opposition is not concerned because he cannot debate and reads chits given by some NGOs. He further criticised Gandhi, saying he didn't have the right to speak about Dalits, tribals, the Constitution and Dr ...

Standard of LS debates dropped since Rahul's entry in Parliament: Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijuju on Saturday said that the standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Parliament. Addressing a press conference, the Union minister of parliamentary and minority affairs, who is here to campaign for the November 20 Maharashtra election, said there is an undercurrent in favour of the BJP and Mahayuti, and the Ladki Bahin scheme will benefit the ruling alliance. "The standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Rahul Gandhi's arrival. We have people who can talk and debate, but the Congress seems to have no one, and those who want to debate are afraid of Rahul Gandhi," he said. Rijiju claimed that many senior Congress MPs have told him they want debates and discussions, but the Leader of Opposition is not concerned because he cannot debate and reads chits given by some NGOs. He further criticised Gandhi, saying he didn't have the right to speak about Dalits, tribals, the Constitution and Dr ...

Centre will manage Waqf property with accountability, transparency: Rijiju

He also expressed happiness that intellectuals and positive-minded individuals from the community support the amendment

Cong prioritises vote bank over development, divides communities: Rijuju

Union Minister Kiren Rijuju on Friday claimed that the Congress has prioritised its vote bank over true development, urging the people of Maharashtra to remain cautious about the party's "misleading tactics" ahead of the state assembly elections. Addressing the media here, the BJP leader accused the Congress of dividing communities for votes. "The Congress has a long-standing policy of dividing communities to secure votes, which has only harmed the unity and progress of our nation. They continue to think of some communities as their assured vote banks while creating divisions elsewhere, but this illusion will soon break when people realise the party's intentions," Rijuju said. The Union minister for minority affairs claimed the party prioritised its vote bank over development works. He said the world respects India because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. "Earlier, Indians did not get the same respect abroad, but Modi's governance has elevated the country's image ...

Winter session of Parliament to be held from Nov 25 to Dec 20, says Rijiju

The Winter Session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on November 25 and continue till December 20, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday. Rijiju said a special celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution will be held in the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan on November 26, observed as Constitution Day. "Hon'ble President, on the recommendation of the Government of India, has approved the proposal for summoning both the Houses of Parliament for the Winter Session, 2024, from 25th November to 20th December, 2024 (subject to exigencies of parliamentary business)," Rijiju said. The Joint Committee on Waqf Amendment Bill is expected to submit its report on November 29 in Parliament, if it sticks to the deadline given to it in the previous session.

Parl's joint committee on Waqf Bill will complete work on time: Rijiju

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju Wednesday expressed confidence the Parliament's joint committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will submit its report within the stipulated time, even as he asserted the consultation process is the most extensive in the history of the country's parliamentary democracy. Rijiju said the committee would fulfil the mandate of submitting its report before the last day of the first week of Parliament's Winter Session. "I feel the way and at the speed at which Parliament's joint committee is functioning, they should be able to table the report of the joint parliamentary committee as stipulated in the rule in the terms of reference...the committee has to submit the report before the last day of the first week of the Winter Session. They will fulfil it," Rijiju told a press conference on the first 100 days of the ministry. The dates for the Winter Session have not been announced yet. Asked about BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raising concerns over the nearly 1.2

Standing, consultative committees of Parl to be constituted soon: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday asserted that department-related standing committees and consultative committees of Parliament will be constituted soon. His remarks come against the backdrop of certain opposition leaders questioning the delay in constituting standing committees, which scrutinise the functioning of Union ministries. Addressing an event of his ministry here, he said in the past too, the standing committees and consultative committees have been formed around September 15 and there was no delay. While a majority of the standing committees come under the Lok Sabha Secretariat, some are serviced by the Rajya Sabha. Department-related standing committees deal with various Union ministries and scrutinise their budgetary allocations and bills introduced in Parliament. They also recommend the government to bring bills and make policies on important issues. The consultative committees are chaired by the ministers in charge of their respective ministr

Minorities safest in India: Union minister Rijiju hits out at Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on minorities and said they are the safest in India. Responding to a question on Gandhi's remarks in the US that RSS considers some religions, languages and communities inferior to others, Rijiju said, "No matter the amount of effort made, India cannot be defamed because India's Constitution and culture do not differentiate between people." He said people who want to defame India with the help of anti-India forces will not succeed. The Minister for Minority Affairs who also holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio pointed out that minorities in India's neighbourhood come here if something wrong happens to them there. "Minorities are the safest in India," he asserted. Addressing on Monday a gathering of several hundred Indian Americans in Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, the leader of opposition accused the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities of be

'CM ignored sacred duty': Kiren Rijiju on Mamata govt's anti-rape bill

Kiren Rijiju accused Mamata Banerjee of exploiting the doctor's tragic death for political gain, alleging that the chief minister had 'failed to act' to prevent the crime

Kolkata rape-murder: Matter of concern for everyone, says Kiren Rijiju

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs arrived at the Bhubaneshwar airport on Saturday morning to attend the inauguration of Orientation programme for newly elected MLAs of 17th Odisha Assembly

Kiren Rijiju launches 'Jiyo Parsi' scheme portal to stop population decline

Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday launched the Jiyo Parsi scheme portal that would enable Parsis to apply, check the status of their application and to receive financial assistance online through direct benefit transfer mode. The Jiyo Parsi scheme is a unique central sector scheme implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs with the objective to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions, and to stabilise their population. The scheme provides financial assistance to Parsi couples for medical treatment under standard medical protocol and towards childcare and assistance to the dependent elderly. Rijiju launched the scheme portal in the presence of Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian and National Commission for Minorities Chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura, among others. Speaking on the occasion, Rijiju emphasised the rich heritage and culture of the Parsi community and underlined t

Oppn defaming country, refugees know India is safe for minorities: Rijiju

Six recognised minorities, technically and by definition we are minority but by no means, emotionally, socially.... no one in this country is minority, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju added

Govt proposes JPC scrutiny over controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Opposition parties have criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it an attack on the Constitution, religious freedoms, and the federal structure of India