Opp demands standalone debate
The Lok Sabha remained blocked in the first week of the Budget session of Parliament and the deadlock is likely to continue next week as the Opposition is adamant. After adjournment for Monday, leaders of different Opposition parties met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday to press for a standalone debate on the farmers' issue and not as part of the motion of thanks to the President's address as agreed in the Rajya Sabha.
The Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha upped their stand against the three farm laws on the third day of debate on the President's address, demanding their repeal and intervention of the Prime Minister to end the logjam. PM Narendra Modi is to reply to the motion in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
For the past four days, the Lok Sabha was repeatedly adjourned and the day's session was put off for another sitting on Monday, with no indications of the Opposition relenting to participate in the motion of thanks to the President for his address to a joint session.
The House could take up the question hour for some 15
minutes, but it was adjourned within minutes for the day on being reconvened at 6 pm unlike on the last day when the House went on till 9 pm despite the uproar.
In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition seized the opportunity of the debate to demand a timebound judicial probe headed by a sitting SC judge into the Republic Day violence in Delhi and defiling of the national flag at Red Fort.
On the other hand, the BJP members put up a stout defence of the laws, saying they were reformative and aimed to scale up the agriculture sector. They were also upfront praising the government's performance under the leadership of Modi. They were upfront in appreciation of govt’s performance under the leadership of Modi.
Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma sought withdrawal of the farm laws, passed by the Rajya Sabha undemocratically by giving a short-shrift to the parliamentary procedures.
Anyone speaking truth dubbed traitor: Sena Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in Rajya Sabha, Shiv Sena member Sanjay Raut said farmers fighting for their rights have been branded as anti-nationals or Khalistanis. The farmers, who were known as ‘warriors’ when they fought the Mughals and the British, are now dubbed as anti-nationals when they are fighting for their rights at Delhi’s borders. "We heard minister Dharmendra Pradhan asking us to listen to the truth. For the last six years, we have been listening to the truth, even the untruth dubbed as truth. The atmosphere in the country today is such that anyone writing the
truth is dubbed as traitor and anti-national," he alleged. Wrong to term economic crisis act of God: CPI
The CPI hit out at the government for terming the economic crisis as an act of God, and said the policies of the government are squarely responsible for the situation and not the almighty. CPI member Binoy Viswam said the government's much-touted Rs20 lakh crore package was only a "gimmick" as only around Rs2 lakh crore reached the people instead.