LS Clears Railways Bill, Vaishnaw Rules Out Privatisation

New Delhi: After days of logjam, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Railways (Amendment) Bill 2024 and held discussions on the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024. Responding to a debate on the Railway (Amendment) Bill, railway minister Ashiwni Vaishnaw said that a fake narrative was set afloat that the amendment will privatise railways. “A few members have said the bill will lead to the privatisation of railways, in an attempt to set a fake narrative. I want to appeal to them with all sincerity not to do this, their one fake narrative about the Constitution has already failed,” Vaishnaw said, adding that the amendment will not lead to the privatisation of the national carrier.

The Rajya Sabha, however, was adjourned without transacting any business amid uproar by the Treasury and the Opposition benches over the no-trust notice against the House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the US billionaire George Soros issue. The TMC blamed both the BJP and the Congress over the repeated adjournments in Parliament.

The Congress on Wednesday said it wants both the Houses to function. It called on the government not to run away from debates on various issues and to answer them on the floors of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi met Speaker Om Birla seeking expunction of remarks linking him, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and his mother Sonia Gandhi with Soros.

"I had a meeting with the Speaker and I told him that our party is saying that derogatory comments against me should be expunged. The Speaker said he will examine them. They (the BJP) continue to make all kinds of baseless allegations, but we have decided that we want the House to function. Whatever provocation they do, we will allow them. But we will try and run the House. We would want that somehow the House functions. We want there to be a debate and discussion. We want there to be a debate on the Constitution on December 13," Gandhi later told mediapersons.

Congress deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi wrote a letter to Birla urging him to examine the party's complaint against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's "defamatory remarks" against Gandhi and remove them from the record. He also said the Congress party is keen to participate in the legislative business.

During the Zero Hour on Wednesday, Gogoi taunted the government for neglecting Manipur and diverting the nation's attention by talking about Soros.

In the evening, during the discussion on the Disaster Management Bill, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee got engaged in a verbal duel after the latter commented on the minister's look and family background, forcing adjournment for the day.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Wednesday as the Opposition and the Treasury benches traded charges over the impeachment notice against the House Chairman and vice-president.

Soon after the Upper House reassembled at noon following the day's first adjournment, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda accused the Congress of standing with Mr Soros in seeking to destabilise the country and demanded a discussion.

Nadda condemned the Congress for the Opposition's no-confidence notice against Mr Dhankhar, saying it was an attempt by the Opposition to divert attention from the "ties between the top Congress leadership and Mr Soros". He called for the debate on the issue as it "concerns the country's sovereignty and internal and external security".

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the Opposition must respect the presiding officers and if the Congress attacks the dignity of the V-P, the Treasury benches will protect it.

"You stand with forces who are against the country. Notice has been given against the Chairman...it is difficult to find such a Chairman. He has always talked of the welfare of the poor and protected the Constitution. We will not allow the drama of notice to succeed. What is the relationship between Mr Soros and the Congress party? This should be revealed... the Congress should apologise to the nation," Mr Rijiju said. He also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue on Wednesday.