Tejasvi Surya to head parliamentary panel on Jan Vishwas Bill
Baijayant Panda to chair select committee on IBC
New Delhi (PTI): BJP leader Tejasvi Surya was on Wednesday appointed the chairman of the select parliamentary panel to examine the Jan Vishwas Bill.
BJP leader Baijayant Panda has been appointed chairman of the select committee to examine the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, while the chairpersons of almost all the department-related parliamentary panels, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, have been re-nominated to their respective positions.
Earlier, Panda chaired the parliamentary committee that examined the Income Tax Bill, which was passed by Parliament during the Monsoon Session.
The appointment of Surya, the two-term sitting Lok Sabha member from Bangalore South, as the chairman of the select committee on The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill is considered in Parliament circles as a vote of confidence of the BJP top brass in the young leader.
There was no word yet on the constitution of the parliamentary committee to examine the three Home Ministry Bills, including the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill.
At least three political parties -- Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT and Aam Aadmi Party -- have announced that their representatives will not be part of the panel.
Congress too appears disinclined to join the committee to examine bills that seek the ouster of prime minister, chief ministers and ministers under arrest for 30 days.
BJP leaders Nishikant Dubey and Bhartruhari Matab will continue as chairmen of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology; and Finance, respectively, while DMK leader Kanimozhi will head the committee on consumer affairs, food and public distribution, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.
Congress leaders Tharoor and Charanjit Singh Channi will continue to head the committees on external affairs and agriculture, respectively.
Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra, who was earlier a member of the Dubey-led parliamentary committee on communication and IT, has been made a member of the committee on defence, chaired by BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh.
Moitra and Dubey have been at loggerheads, and the Trinamool had written to the Lok Sabha Speaker to shift her to a different parliamentary panel.
Trinamool leaders Dola Sen and Kirti Azad have been renominated to the committees on commerce; and chemicals and fertilisers, respectively.
BJP leader Anurag Thakur will chair the committee on coal, mines and steel, while BJP leader Radha Mohan Das Agarwal will be at the helm of the panel on home affairs.
Among the BJP allies, JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha has been reappointed as the chairman of the committee on transport, tourism and culture, while NCP leader Sunil Tatkare heads the panel on petroleum and natural gas.
Shiv Sena leader Shrirang Appa Barne heads the committee on energy.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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