Politics
12 parties give notice of no-confidence motion against Dy Chairman; call him govt’s ‘rubber stamp’
Hundred members of 12 parties of the Opposition gave a notice of no-confidence motion against Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh Singh. The 12 parties have accused the Chairman of violating parliamentary procedures for passing farm bills swiftly and ignoring all demands by the Opposition of proper voting. The Opposition also accused the government of using the Chairman as a rubber stamp.
MPs from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, RJD, TRS, NCP, AAP, CPI, CPI (M), JD (S), IUML and Kerala Congress (Mani) passed the no-confidence motion against the Chairman.
However, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkiah Naidu also rejected the no-confidence motion saying the motion was non-admissible under Article 90 of the Constitution.
Also read:Crucial farm bills passed in Rajya Sabha amid ruckus by Opposition who term it anti-farmer, pro-corporate
The motion read, When the agitated members, on being denied the right for a division on this crucial bill protested strongly pointing out how gravely the bill is against the farmer’s interest, the Deputy Chairperson packed the house with security personnel deliberately designed to overawe and outnumber the members of the opposition.
Senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tweeted, Deputy Chairman of RS has been a very close personal friend of mine for long. Till July 2017 he was a bitter critic of the PM, until his party abandoned the grand alliance in Bihar. Since then he has become an unthinking rubber stamp in the important position he occupies. Very sad.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O? Brien tweeted, Yes. An Opposition MP broke a microphone in the Rajya Sabha. Today, BJP tried to break the back of yet another great institution of our democracy #Parliament. Basic rights of MPs guaranteed by Constitution snatched. No vote allowed in RS on #farmersbill.
COVID-19
Thane Municipal Corporation adds 25 beds as COVID cases rise
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) added 25 additional beds in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital Kalwa apart from arranging a special ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The total number of active patients in the city stood at 252 while five succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said a ‘death audit’ of patients who died of COVID would be conducted. The TMC has ensured it has additional stock of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, medicines, to name a few. Bangar told HT, “Due to the increasing number of Covid patients, it is necessary for everyone to be alert.”
He added, The number of Covid tests should be increased to stay one step ahead of the disease. As a result, the number of patients is likely to increase due to increased testing. However, as per the ‘test, isolate, treat’ protocol for Covid, it becomes necessary to isolate and treat more and more patients. The testing centres will not remain closed even for a single day. At the same time, more arrangements for testing will be made immediately in public places, markets, railway stations, malls.”
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified

Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Nagpur News
Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
A total of 22 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in past 24 hours on Thursday. Almost 242 people were tested in the city, out of which 15 belonged to urban area while and 6 were from the rural areas, and one from outside Nagpur district.
At present, there are 72 active patients in the city. Three new cases of the new XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 were detected that took the total tally to five in the district.
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: CELESTIAL! Unique alignment of Moon and 5 planets