Parliament Spotlight

New Delhi, 7 August 2018

Protest Over Bihar Case, Andhra Discrimination

New Delhi, 6 August 2018 (INFA): Opposition MPs staged two walkouts in the Lok Sabha today during over the Government refusing to make a statement on the issues raised by them in Zero Hour. One was raised by Congress and RJD members over the Muzzafarpur shelter homes scandal and the other by TDP members over the “PMO” arbitrarily withdrawing funds for backward districts in Andhra Pradesh.  

In fact, tempers among some members did run pretty high during Zero Hour. An angry Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan, alleged the Bihar government was “hushing up” investigation against the culprits, involved in the sexual exploitation of minor girls in the shelter home (11 continue to be missing) and that the Home Minister, present in the House must respond to her contentions. With her demand not being accepted she strode into the well of the House and tore up papers and threw books on the ground near the Speaker’s desk. This led to a short adjournment.

The RJD member Jai Prakash Yadav who supported Ranjan’s contention said witnesses were being pressurised and evidence was being destroyed. Other Congress MPs along with TMC and Left members were too on their feet demanding that Rajnath Singh respond. But Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said the matter was being investigated by the CBI and that it was not right to demand the government’s response every day, even though the entire House was anguished over the scandal. She, however, said that the CBI must investigate thoroughly and the Government must keep a watch so that justice is done.   

The other issue which led to anger was that of Andhra Pradesh. Though TDP MPs put down their placards during their member being allowed to speak, two of them later tore those placards after the chair did not agree with their demand for the government to respond and staged a walkout.

TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu alleged that the Centre was doing grave injustice to the seven backward districts of the State and not disbursing the funds it had promised. The issue had been hanging fire for over six months. Worse, he said was that the Centre had taken back Rs 350 crores allotted under special development fund to the backward districts of the State under instructions of the “PMO”. The AP government was told that this was because of non-submission of utilisation certificate’, which Naidu said was incorrect.

He said the Centre had promised to give assistance package to these districts on the same lines of Bundelkhand and Odisha but chose to differentiate later. While the other two States package for six years involved Rs 22,000 crore, the Centre decided to give only Rs 2050 crore to Andhra instead. The TDP members demanded a response from the Government and with none coming its way the party MPs staged a walk out. This time around, no others joined them. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

New Delhi

6 August 2018