Rajya Sabha saw adjournments through the day. Opposition
parties alleged that the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh had summoned the session without consultation with the state
government. The Opposition argued that, as members of the Council, their interest
was to protect the interest of the state. However, the Deputy Chairman gave a ruling that, as per Rule 328, "speaking members cannot reflect upon the conduct of persons in high
authority unless the discussion is based on a substantive motion."
Opposition members also protested the CBI search in
the Delhi
Chief Minister’s office. The Leader of the Upper House, Arun Jaitley,
clarified that the search by the CBI was carried out in 14
places and was related to a case of alleged corruption against an
official of the Delhi government. He also added that the case preceded
the tenure of the current Chief Minister.
Lok Sabha passed the supplementary demand for
grants. In his reply to the debate, the
Minister of Finance assured the House that the quality of fiscal deficit would be superior to that of previous years. He stated
that the fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent will be achieved without cutting
expenditure. He highlighted that there has been increasing competition among
states as every state is opening up to private sector investment.
Given that the Bill to pass the supplementary demand for
grants is a money bill, it will deemed to be passed by Rajya Sabha if not returned
within 14 days.
Discussion on the The Sugar Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was initiated in the Lower House.