Here are the updates from Friday:

  1. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Opposition leaders held a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with the farmers agitating against the Centre’s three agricultural laws. Since the Monsoon Session began on July 19, farmer leaders have held a “parallel parliament” at the Jantar Mantar to demand the repeal of the legislations.
  2. Opposition members also raised slogans against the controversial legislations in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. “From the beginning, we have been demanding the repeal of the three black laws concerning farmers,” Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said, The Hindu reported. Meanwhile, Union minister NS Tomar claimed the Opposition was not ready to discuss the matter in the Parliament and only wanted media attention, ANI reported.
  3. Congress’ Youth Wing Chief Srinivas BV said at least 89 hours of the Monsoon Session of Parliament have been wasted because the Modi government was avoiding accountability and not agreeing to Opposition’s demand to discuss matters related to the public, The Hindu reported.
  4. The Opposition has been putting pressure on the Centre to discuss whether India used Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to monitor politicians, journalists and activists, the farm law protests and rise in fuel prices, among others. Chowdhary urged the government to speak to Opposition parties, warning that “this intoxication of power is unseemly”.
  5. The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed in the Lok Sabha by voice vote within five minutes, The Indian Express reported. It proposed an amendment in the Income Tax Act to withdraw retrospective tax demands made on indirect transfer of Indian assets prior to May 28, 2012. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021, to set up a central university in Ladakh was also passed by the House.