Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha target government over ‘misuse’ of central agencies | India News
NEW DELHI: Opposition party MPs in Rajya Sabha on Monday targeted government over “misuse” of agencies like the CBI
NEW DELHI: Opposition party MPs in Rajya Sabha on Monday targeted government over “misuse” of agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to target political opponents that now include a chief minister, poverty and unemployment, politicisation of the Ram Lalla temple consecration, while also questioning the silence in the President’s address on the unrest in Manipur.
Participating in the discussion on motion of thanks to the President’s address, Congress’s Digvijaya Singh and Trinamool Congress’s Sukhendu Sekhar Ray led the Opposition’s attack on the alleged misuse of Central agencies by the government. “A glaring example of federalism is that every state which is ruled by opposition parties, their leaders are being hounded by the central agencies. Even a Dalit chief minister has not been spared,” said Ray.
BJP MPs, however, countered the Opposition’s charge by pointing to the huge recoveries of unaccounted cash and valuables unearthed during the ED/CBI raids against politicians under the scanner. Trivedi said leadership of parties like JMM and RJD had been facing corruption cases since the Nineties and accused the opposition of using casteism, communalism and criminalism to cover their corruption.
Sushil Modi recalled the recent dismissal by the Supreme Court of the Opposition parties’ plea against “misuse of Central agencies”, on the ground that politicians are also citizens and thus amenable to the same laws, apart from pointing to the failure of several politicians jailed in corruption cases, including former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, to secure bail from the courts.
To highlight the contrast with Opposition politicians embroiled in corruption cases, Modi recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not hold even a life insurance policy, donates his entire salary, has no loan, owns no vehicle or land asset and has just Rs 574 in his bank account. “He was on a coconut water diet for 11 days (before the Ram temple consecration) and slept on the floor, all this while discharging his duties. Only a yogi can do this,” he said.
Digvijaya Singh and CPM’s John Brittas accused the government of creating a divide among Hindus by politicising the Ram temple pran pratishtha ceremony, even as BJP’s Trivedi hailed the government for making the Ram temple a reality.
Poverty and unemployment, rising prices particularly food inflation, woes of the MSMEs and low ranking of India on corruption index were other issues raised by the Opposition to attack the government.
Digvijaya Singh once again cast doubts on reliability of EVMs, saying that the software used was not in public domain. He demanded that the VVPAT slips be handed over to the voter who may then put it in the storage box. As of now, the VVPAT slip falls into the storage box after a 7-second viewing window.
Participating in the discussion on motion of thanks to the President’s address, Congress’s Digvijaya Singh and Trinamool Congress’s Sukhendu Sekhar Ray led the Opposition’s attack on the alleged misuse of Central agencies by the government. “A glaring example of federalism is that every state which is ruled by opposition parties, their leaders are being hounded by the central agencies. Even a Dalit chief minister has not been spared,” said Ray.
BJP MPs, however, countered the Opposition’s charge by pointing to the huge recoveries of unaccounted cash and valuables unearthed during the ED/CBI raids against politicians under the scanner. Trivedi said leadership of parties like JMM and RJD had been facing corruption cases since the Nineties and accused the opposition of using casteism, communalism and criminalism to cover their corruption.
Sushil Modi recalled the recent dismissal by the Supreme Court of the Opposition parties’ plea against “misuse of Central agencies”, on the ground that politicians are also citizens and thus amenable to the same laws, apart from pointing to the failure of several politicians jailed in corruption cases, including former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, to secure bail from the courts.
To highlight the contrast with Opposition politicians embroiled in corruption cases, Modi recalled how Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not hold even a life insurance policy, donates his entire salary, has no loan, owns no vehicle or land asset and has just Rs 574 in his bank account. “He was on a coconut water diet for 11 days (before the Ram temple consecration) and slept on the floor, all this while discharging his duties. Only a yogi can do this,” he said.
Digvijaya Singh and CPM’s John Brittas accused the government of creating a divide among Hindus by politicising the Ram temple pran pratishtha ceremony, even as BJP’s Trivedi hailed the government for making the Ram temple a reality.
Poverty and unemployment, rising prices particularly food inflation, woes of the MSMEs and low ranking of India on corruption index were other issues raised by the Opposition to attack the government.
Digvijaya Singh once again cast doubts on reliability of EVMs, saying that the software used was not in public domain. He demanded that the VVPAT slips be handed over to the voter who may then put it in the storage box. As of now, the VVPAT slip falls into the storage box after a 7-second viewing window.