Farmers Movement Archive

Parliament: BJP hits out at Congress, says party doesn't want serious discussion

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday hit out at the Congress for disrupting Parliament and not allowing discussion on serious issues.Addressing the media, former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The motto of Congress is plain and simple, so long as Parliament is allowed to subserve the dynasty, it will be allowed to function, otherwise not.”Opposition parties, including the Congress, have been demanding a discussion and a reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or home minister Amit Shah on the Pegasus snooping controversy. Since the beginning of the Monsoon Session on July 19, both Houses of Parliament have witnessed disruption, with the Opposition members raising slogans, tearing papers and pressing for discussion on issues such as the snooping controversy, inflation and for seeking the rollback of the controversial farm laws.The government has accused the Opposition of deliberately disrupting Parliament, and thereby causing a loss to the exchequer. PM Modi has on more than one occasion asked his party members to “expose” the Opposition’s disruption of proceedings.Also Read | Govt creating database of unorganised workers: Minister tells Rajya SabhaWhile the Opposition parties have accused the government of muzzling their voices and not taking up issue they want to raise for discussion, Prasad said the government has not run away from any discussion.He accused the Congress of not “being serious” about discussions in Parliament.“The Congress has not been able to reconcile to the fact that the country is reposing its trust in PM Narendra Modi in elections after elections, and that the Congress is losing in elections after elections,” he said.Referring to the Opposition’s complaints about how Bills are being passed in both Houses without debate and discussion, the BJP leader said, “We had discussions in the Rajya Sabha to pass Bills. The Congress leaders keep asking us what have you done… during their time they denied the 2G scam and said there was zero loss…”He said the Congress party’s lack of seriousness about issues such as the Covid pandemic is evident from the fact that they skipped a meeting by the PM on the issue.“The Congress does not take Parliament seriously and we need to tell the people this. When the statement about the Pegasus snooping was made, the statement was torn from the minister‘s hand. Is there any evidence that phones of certain people were tapped? Has any responsible quarter given any prima facie evidence that phone numbers have been tapped ? Before Parliament session began, some numbers were circulated by those people who have an anti-Modi agenda,” he said.He said the government is ready to have a discussion on the issue, which he dubbed as “a campaign orchestrated by those who are hostile to the present government.”The former minister said the disruption in parliament has led to a loss of ₹130 crore to the exchequer. He also criticised the Opposition protesting on the floor of the House by tearing papers and flinging them in the air towards the Chair ,which he said is against propriety.In response to a question on the Opposition’s demand for a reply from the PM or the home minister on the Pegasus controversy, he said, “ Will they dictate everything…India is a democracy that is praised across the world. Democracy is run by probity, by propriety and certain standards of conduct.”So far, the government has neither confirmed nor denied whether it has purchased the Pegasus spyware. NSO Group has on multiple occasions said that it offers services only to vetted government clients. The company has disputed the leaked list of numbers as those targeted by its clients.Union information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who defended the government in Parliament hours, was also named as a potential hacking target on July 19.To be sure, as the methodology of the investigation explains, the presence of a number does not indicate the individual’s phone was hacked — just that it was of interest. The government denied any involvement. The opposition, however, has called for a probe into the allegations.

Hindustan Times

05-08-2021

India