Friction at All-Party Meet: Govt Rules Out Discussion on VB-G RAM G & SIR
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh raised the issue of Shankracharya
New Delhi: The tussle between the government and Opposition parties began on Tuesday, eve of the first session of the Budget Session of Parliament commencing on Wednesday. There was friction between the two sides as the Opposition sought discussion on several issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls once and the new VB G RAM G law again, which the government rejected when they met for an all-party meeting.
During the meeting, chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Opposition MPs made clear that they wanted a discussion on the SIR exercise once again, the VB-G RAM G law on employment guarantee that replaced the MGNREGA scheme, the tariffs imposed by the United States, foreign policy matters, the issue of air pollution, the state of the economy, the proposed ban on social media for early teens, controversy over new UGC rules, among other issues.
The DMK, TMC and Left parties also demanded a discussion on Centre-state relations and the alleged misuse of governors’ offices and Central probe agencies in Opposition-ruled states.
John Brittas (CPM) said the Opposition wanted a comprehensive discussion on “repeated humiliations by US President Donald Trump, India’s position on Trump’s “board of peace”, and the abduction of the Venezuelan President.
“Parliament is NOT a one-way street. Parliament is not a notice board for the government,” said Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose.
Several Opposition MPs also objected to the non-circulation of government business for the session, to which the parliamentary affairs minister said he will provide it soon.
The government rejected the Opposition's demands for discussions on the G RAM G Act as well as on the SIR, saying the two issues had been debated by both Houses. It maintained that the focus of the session should be the Budget itself and the members could raise other issues during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. Brittas objected to this, saying a structured discussion follows replies from the ministers concerned.
“Once a law is before the nation, we have to follow it. We cannot reverse the gear and go back. Both Houses of Parliament had extensive discussions on electoral reforms in the last session, where this issue was also raised by the Opposition. This is uncalled for if another debate is demanded," said parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju after the all-party meeting.
He added the Opposition MPs put forth several issues, and these can be raised during debate on the President's address and the Budget. He appealed that members should raise their issues but there should not be any ruckus.
