Tag: slugfest

Slugfest between Cong, BJP intensifies; no business in Parliament for third straight day

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New Delhi: The proceedings in Parliament were disrupted for the third straight day on Wednesday as the political slugfest between the BJP and the Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s democracy remarks and the Adani issue intensified and the opposition parties took to the streets.
The BJP stepped up the ante against Gandhi, saying India’s democracy is not in peril but the Congress party has been brought to “political perish” by the people while the opposition party escalated its offensive, accusing the government of “undermining and weakening” democracy in the country by stalling Parliament to save a businessman.
The Congress along with several other opposition parties also took out a protest march from Parliament House to hand over a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate on the Adani issue. However, they were stopped by the police at Vijay Chowk.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the police did not allow the opposition MPs of around 18 parties to march in protest and present their case for a detailed investigation into the Adani issue.
Later, opposition leaders emailed a letter to ED Director S K Mishra. The parties told the probe agency that “it cannot turn around and abdicate its jurisdiction”.
The letter was signed by leaders of the Congress, CPI, CPI-M, JDU, SS (UBT), RJD, DMK, JMM, AAP, IUML, VCK, Kerala Congress and others.
The logjam continued in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In Lok Sabha, opposition members stormed into the Well of the House, raising placards and slogans, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani matter while the BJP slammed Rahul, accusing him of insulting India and cast aspersion against the Speaker of the House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla repeatedly urged the members to return to their seats and allow the house to run.
“This house is meant for holding discussions and dialogues. Let’s talk about policy and have a good discussion on issues related to public welfare. If we want people’s welfare and consider this house a temple of democracy, I will request that at least don’t comment on this house,” Birla said.
“It is not right to comment, either inside (the house) or outside. Talk about issues and policy here. It is not right to bring placards like this here. I am warning you. This is wrong,” he said.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were also disrupted amid uproar over the BJP’s demand for Gandhi’s apology for his “democracy under attack” remark made in London.
Both houses have failed to transact business so far in the second leg of the Budget session of Parliament that began on Monday.
Gandhi, during his recent UK visit, had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy were under “brutal attack” and there was a full-scale assault on the country’s institutions.
His remarks triggered a massive political row, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign interventions and the Congress hitting back, citing instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad.
Outside the Parliament also, the BJP kept the heat on Rahul Gandhi with Union minister Smriti Irani saying India’s democracy is not in peril but the Congress party has been brought to “political perish” by the people for the kind of behaviour its leader (Rahul Gandhi) exhibited overseas,
Gandhi’s grudge with Prime Minister Modi has taken the shape of a grudge with India, she charged, demanding that the Wayanad MP of the Congress apologise to Parliament for his remarks.
Addressing a press conference, Irani alleged that “at the feet of India’s colonial past” Gandhi lamented the “lack of foreign intervention” in India’s democracy. This is to bring to a halt India’s resilient growth story under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, she said.
She said the “lies that became a foundation of the Congress leader’s conversation in England” were many.
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#Slugfest #Cong #BJP #intensifies #business #Parliament #straight #day
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 15, 2023
Manish Sisodia’s arrest provokes political slugfest

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The arrest of Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation has sharply drawn both Bharatiya Janata Party and Aap Party into a serious political battle.
It may have been a routine arrest of Sisodia ostensibly for the alleged involvement in the Delhi liquor policy scam, but arrest of a top leader like Manish Sisodia and deputy chief minister has given sufficient fodder to the AAP to blacken the BJP and Modi, as also the BJP to drum up the fact that they have “zero” tolerance for corruption and that “no one is above the law”.
Now it may not have any impact on the 2024 general elections but it does give a political talking point to both the parties.
The AAP standing solidly behind Sisodia has said that the real target is Arvind Kejriwal and AAP party, as there was no other leader like Kejriwal who puts a scare into the BJP. In other words, it is Kejriwal and not Gandhi who can take on Modi come 2024.
. The BJP’s intention to arrest Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain before that is attempt by the BJP to finish off the AAP party and its leaders, claim AAP members. The motivation, they say is clearly political.
Countering the charge of political vendetta the BJP says the issue is entirely one of corruption as it stems out of the sudden withdrawal of the liquor policy once flagged by the Lt. Governor was suddenly withdrawn.
But the AAP retorts that people who whisk away billions and trillions are not touched by the central government and roam around freely because they are their “friends” of the BJP. Not even a notice is sent to them.
The AAP asks if Manish Sisodia made thousands of crores “where is the money trail?”.

There had been raids at Manish Sisodia’s office and home too and nothing incriminating had been found, the AAP claims.
The CBI decided to arrest Sisodia after grilling for more than eight hours primarily on the grounds that he did not answer questions and was evasive.
The BJP on its part says that Manish Sisodia has a lot to answer primarily as to why liquor policy was suddenly withdrawn once there was talk of corruption.
The bone of contention is that the said liquor policy was allegedly meant to benefit the liquor lobby and had substantially enhanced the commission to around 12 percent from about 2 percent.
The CBI would try to find out how certain contentious provisions had come into the final draft of the withdrawn liquor policy.
The BJP asks why manufacturers of liquor were allowed in the retail business in the withdrawn policy.
The AAP party feels that the arrest of Manish Sisodia was vendetta for the loss BJP faced in Delhi Municipal Corporation after years.
The AAP party has decided to show a bold face in face of the arrest and said that Sisodia had become the victim of “dirty politics”.
The BJP alleging that AAP was encouraging liquor culture in the capital has also asked why many blacklisted companies were taken back.
Even though the BJP claims that the enforcement agencies are apolitical and purely go by the facts of the case, no one in the opposition is likely to accept their claim.
The AAP has clearly said that arrests of their members were just a misuse of enforcement/investigative agencies by the central government.
The BJP is definitely trying to take as much advantage as possible by pointing that it is shameful that a Minister of Education was getting arrested for excise policy
The BJP is going to drum the fact that BJP has zero tolerance for corruption and that Satyendra Jain is still in jail not being able get bail from the courts.
In this mutual blame game by political parties it will be difficult for the general public to know where the truth lies and who is accountable.
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#Manish #Sisodias #arrest #provokes #political #slugfest
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 27, 2023
Political slugfest erupts in Bengal over Budget proposals

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Kolkata: After Minister of State for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya presented the West Bengal Budget proposals for the financial year 2023-24 on Wednesday, a political slugfest has erupted in the state over them.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the Budget as a growth-oriented one maintaining a balance in social development with focus on employment generation and economic growth.
“Despite the adverse attitude of the Union government towards West Bengal, especially with regard to payment of central dues to the state, we have tried with our limited means to provide as much relief as possible to the people. This is truly a humanitarian Budget,” the Chief Minister said.
According to BJP legislator and former chief economic advisor to the Union government, Ashok Kumar Lahiri, there is no direction in the Budget to control the rising accumulated debt of the state.
“What is even alarming is that the burden of interest payment of previous debts will skyrocket by the end of the current financial year. So, after paying this huge interest as well as meeting the committed expenditures like salaries, wages and retirement benefits to state government employees, the state government will hardly have any reserve for meeting capital expenditure.
“That is why the projected capital expenditure every year in the Budget estimate gets reduced in the revised estimates. The same thing has happened this year as well,” Lahiri said.
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that the Budget has been presented keeping the forthcoming panchayat elections in mind, especially the proposal related to the old-age monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to women above 60 years of age.
“What will they do with just Rs 1,000? There is no scope for employment generation. There is no focus on education. The government has not done anything to improve the alarming situation that the state is in because of huge accumulated debt,” he said.

Trinamool Congress MLA Tapas Roy welcomed the Budget proposal to increase the local area development fund for MLAs to Rs 70 lakh for each legislator from the current figure of Rs 60 lakh.
However, senior BJP legislator Mihir Goswami said that such an announcement is meaningless considering that the state government has not paid the past dues to the MLAs on this count.
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#Political #slugfest #erupts #Bengal #Budget #proposals
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 15, 2023