Parliament news LIVE: Sitharaman to introduce taxation bill in Lok Sabha; Congress seeks discussion on defection law

Parliament news LIVE: Taking potshots at Union home minister Amit Shah over his absence from the current session of the Parliament, Congress MP Pawan Khera said Shah considers it a very bif deal to come to the House.

“The Home Minister considers it a very big deal to come to the House and give a statement on what has happened or is happening to the coming generations of this country… Whether it’s stealing donations or stealing the future of the youth, both are important issues. If you want to run the House, then come and address this,” Khera said.

Parliament news LIVE: The NDA Parliamentary Party’s ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting began in Parliament on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other NDA leaders in attendance.

BJP National President Nitin Nabin was also in attendance at the meeting being held at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building.

Earlier, Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay also arrived at the Parliament Library Building to attend the NDA Parliamentary Party’s weekly ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Bandyopadhyay said, “I will attend the NDA parliamentary party meeting for the first time today. I am one of the senior-most parliamentarians in the country. All are united in NCPI.”

Parliament news LIVE: The government will introduce the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, with the legislation proposing a series of amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the Finance Act, 2026.

The Bill will replace the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026. It is listed for introduction in Lok Sabha tomorrow.

The bill says that “no bank or system provider shall impose, whether directly or indirectly, any charge upon a person making or receiving a payment by using one or more electronic modes of payment as may be notified by the Central Government”.

One of the key proposals in the Bill is aimed at promoting digital payments. It provides that no bank or payment system provider shall levy charges on electronic payment modes notified by the Central Government, a move aimed at encouraging wider adoption of digital transactions across the country.

The proposed legislation also contains several tax-related measures covering foreign investment, electronics manufacturing, fund management, data centres, the diamond industry and business trusts.

To encourage investment in government securities, the Bill proposes tax exemption for Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) on interest income and capital gains arising from investments in Government Securities (G-Secs). A similar tax exemption has also been proposed for the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) on its investments in government securities.

via ANI

Parliament news LIVE: The central government on Monday introduced the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, laying out a modern statutory framework for the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) with a focused push toward data science, emerging technologies, and strategic industry collaboration.

Union Minister Rao Indrajit Singh introduced the legislation, which seeks to repeal and replace the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959 while preserving the institute’s designation as an Institution of National Importance.

The legislation aims to transition the existing society into an autonomous statutory body corporate.

The Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 seeks to provide for a comprehensive statutory framework to the Indian Statistical Institute, to excel as a globally recognised centre in Statistical Sciences and allied fields

The legislation expands the statutory definition of Statistical Sciences and it includes “the fields of theoretical and applied statistics, mathematics, economics, data science, computer science and other quantitative sciences including biology, physics and earth sciences; and such other allied fields including quantitative social sciences and modern technologies, such as cryptology and other related disciplines as may be specified by the regulations.”

Under the proposed law, the President of India will act as the Visitor of the institution, while administrative and policy decisions will rest with a newly structured Board of Governors headed by an eminent expert from academia, industry, public policy, or statistical sciences.

The institute will have an Academic Council, which will act as its principal academic body and will be headed by the institute’s director, the government Bill noted, adding that all full-time faculty members and professors will sit on the council.

via ANI

Parliament news LIVE: Delhi BJP has submitted a police complaint against Congress MP Pramod Tiwari for his allegedly derogatory remarks on Goddess Sita in a press conference on Sunday.

Advocate Sanket Gupta, a member of BJP’s legal cell, alleged that Pramod Tiwari’s remarks had hurt the sentiments of Sanatan devotees.

Advocate Gupta told ANI on Monday, “Today, we have submitted a complaint with the DCP, New Delhi. The complaint was against Pramod Tiwari, who is a senior leader of the Congress party, over the statement he made on August 2, in a press conference held at the Congress headquarters. While addressing the press, he made derogatory remarks against Goddess Sita, which is not at all acceptable to any Sanatani devotee and has hurt the sentiments of all Sanatan devotees.”

“Sections 299 and 302 of the BNS are completely clear on this, and it was a cognizable offence,” he added.

During a Congress press conference, targeting the BJP over the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation embezzlement case on Sunday, Pramod Tiwari took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, “Even when Lord Ram performed the yagna of the Ashwamedha, he got a stone idol of Goddess Sita made and kept it by his side before initiating the yagna. When Modi was performing the worship of the temple, we couldn’t see Goddess Sita Mata anywhere there. Who was Rama’s Sita at that time, and who is PM Modi’s Sita? PM should decide that himself.”

Parliament news LIVE: The opposition’s demand for PM Modi and Amit Shah to attend the proceedings dominated the session on Monday.

Throughout the session in the Parliament, Opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha demanded Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s presence in the House as they sought answers to the security crackdown against protestors during the CJP’s Chalo Sansad march on July 20.

Furthermore, the Opposition also sought answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Ram temple donation theft case. Despite the disruptions, the Lok Sabha passed the bill to increase the strength of Supreme Court judges to 38.

Parliament news LIVE: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill seeks to further amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the Finance Act, 2026. Sitharaman will move for leave to introduce the legislation and subsequently introduce the Bill in the House.

The Finance Minister will also lay on the Table an explanatory statement, in Hindi and English, outlining the reasons for immediate legislation through the promulgation of the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 (No. 2 of 2026).

Parliament news LIVE: Seeking discussion on the anti-defection law, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday submitted an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha. Tewari sought the suspension of Question Hour, Zero Hour, and all other listed business of the day to discuss the need for a new anti-defection law to curb what he termed “mass political defections” driven by opportunism.