Monsoon Session: Both Houses adjourned sine die on last day; Shah introduces 3 key Bills in LS

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha, which resumed its proceedings on Friday after it was adjourned twice amid sloganeering by Opposition INDIA bloc members, led by Congress, again adjourned sine die on the last day of the Monsoon Session.

The Lok Sabha immediately after it resumed at 11 am was adjourned till 12 noon and later when it again resumed was adjourned till 12.30 pm. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar adjourned the Upper House sine die.

Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday introduced bills to amend the Central and Integrated GST laws to levy a 28 per cent tax on the full face value of bets in online gaming, casinos and horse race clubs. The Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and The Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, were introduced by Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lower House of the Parliament amid opposition protests over suspension of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from the House.

The amendments pertain to the insertion of a provision in the Schedule III of the CGST Act, 2017, to provide clarity on the taxation of supplies in casinos, horse racing and online gaming. The amendment in IGST Act relates to inserting a provision to impose GST liability on online money gaming provided by offshore entities. Such entities would be required to get GST registration in India. The amendments will also provide for blocking access to online gaming platforms located overseas in case of failure to comply with registration and tax payment provisions. The amendments to the Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) laws were approved by the GST Council last week.

After the Lower House resumed at 12.30 pm, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three Bills, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanstha Bill, 2023.

"In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi guided us. There was a lot of consultation over it. I had written a letter to Judges and all Law Universities. I had also written to all Chief Ministers and Governors. I am happy that now the law will be made," Shah said in the Lower House.

Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raked up the issue of Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Upper House of the Parliament and claimed that Chowdhury was suspended on flimsy grounds.

"He (Chowdhury) has been suspended on flimsy grounds. He just said, Nirav Modi. Nirav means calm, silent. (And) You suspend him over that? If you suspend him (Chowdhury), it is not good," Kharge, who is also the Congress President, said in the Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said that nine members of the Upper House - from Gujarat and West Bengal - were retiring on August 18. "Of the retiring members, four members, including S Jaishankar and Derek O'Brien, are re-elected to the House. I congratulate them," Jagdeep Dhankar said and bid farewell to the five retiring members of the Upper House.

Kharge quipped "Dil ki Baat aur Maan ki Baat alaag hai" as he took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat'. Kharge on behalf of the Opposition and his party Congress congratulated the five retiring Rajya Sabha members.

Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that the retiring members have contributed to the Upper House and also congratulated the retiring members. He hailed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's contribution during his four-year tenure.

Congress member Pramod Tiwari (Rajasthan) asked the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar to call Prime Minister to the Upper House to bid farewell to the retiring members as has been the "tradition".

While Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar asked DMK member Tiruchi Siva to speak on retiring members, a few members created a ruckus, forcing the Chairman to adjourn the Upper House.

Since the commencement of the Monsoon Session, the Upper House has witnessed high drama. The Opposition INDIA bloc, led by Congress, has been demanding discussion on the situation in the northeastern state, where violence first erupted on May 3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an elaborate statement in the Lok Sabha while replying to the No-Confidence Motion against the Council of Ministers on Thursday where he attacked the Congress. The No-Confidence Motion was eventually defeated in the Lower House of Parliament.

However, the Prime Minister is yet to speak on the Manipur issue in the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned multiple times due to the sloganeering by the Opposition members. The Rajya Sabha has also seen heated arguments between Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar and TMC member Derek O'Brien.