Farmers Movement Archive

TMC stands firm on Pegasus debate, gives 4 notices in Parliament

KOLKATA: Refusing to budge from its demand that either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or home minister Amit Shah participate in a “structured discussion” on the Pegasus issue, Trinamool Congress has given four notices in Parliament to discuss the topic by suspending all other business. The party said all “discussions on Pegasus” have to be “inside Parliament and not outside”, dismissing reported efforts by the Centre to reach out to opposition parties to break the ongoing Parliament deadlock. Dismissing claims by the Centre suggesting that Rs 130 crore of the national exchequer was being wasted due to disruptions in Parliament, a senior Trinamool leader said: “Democracy, and upholding fundamental rights, cannot be measured in Rs 130 crore.” Since 2014, the leader added, not a single notice given under Rule 267 (which allows Parliament to suspend all business to discuss a topic) had been allowed. Party sources indicated its fresh notices to discuss Pegasus mentions “surveillance, national security, espionage and military spyware” to highlight the subject’s importance. Trinamool said it, along with all other opposition parties, would continue its protests with placards, written in seven different languages, including Bengali, in both Houses. Trinamool is part of a 15-party coalition of opposition parties that is coordinating strategy to corner the Centre on the Pegasus and farm laws issues. The party said strategically it would keep seeking division of votes, should the government introduce any bill. “The division of votes will in all probability be denied, which will only prove our assertions that democracy is being murdered,” a leader said. Opening another front in its attack on BJP, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is leaving for Agartala on Monday. He is likely to visit the Tripureswari temple and later in the day, address media. The Biplab Deb government’s attempts to first detain and then slap criminal charges on 23 I-PAC team members in Tripura have come handy for Trinamool, which is eyeing a foothold in the state. Abhishek’s visit is largely to assess the ground situation and gauge whether Trinamool needs to weave together a broader anti-BJP coalition in Tripura or can take the fight to BJP on its own. Ahead of Abhishek’s visit, former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar, of CPM, had already spoken out against detention of I-PAC members, and a senior Congress leader, also a lawyer, had argued for their bail in court.

The Times of India

2021-08-02

Kolkata