The Opposition and Treasury Benches engaged in a verbal duel in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on the issue of fixing minimum support price of crops and farmers reportedly resorting to distress sale.
Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu took exception to the Opposition attributing motives to the Government on the issue while the Opposition asserted it was their right to highlight such matters.
The Upper House also saw a brief bout of the sharp exchanges between the Congress and BJP members after Rajani Patil (Congress) claimed that the name of a BJP MP had come up in the human trafficking case of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.
While she had not named the MP, BJP MP Rupa Ganguly insisted that she be allowed to speak on the issue as personal allegations were leveled against her. Even as Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien assured Ganguly that he will examine the records if she was named by Patil “directly or indirectly” and expunge it, the Congress members strongly refuted Ganguly’s charge leading to a brief spat.
Angry exchanges were witnessed during Zero Hour when Naidu got up to rebut their criticism of the Government for allowing duty free import of wheat at the time of bumper crop. He termed as “unfair” the criticism of not fulfilling the promise of paying a minimum price equivalent to one-and-a -half-times the cost to farmers for their crop.
leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asked why should the Minister “unnecessarily intervene” in the Zero Hour which as per rules is members’ time to raise issues pertaining to public interest. Moreover, Naidu could not intervene as he was neither the Agriculture Minister, nor the Parliamentary Affairs Minister who responds in absence of the concerned Minister, Azad said.
The issue was raised by Sharad Yadav and Sitaram Yechury besides some other Opposition members backed his concern over farmers not getting adequate price for their crops despite a good harvest. Yadav also criticised the Government for allowing zero duty import for pulses and some other crops while the Indian farmers were deprived of good price.
As the Opposition associated with the issue, Naidu said the Opposition parties can give a notice for a discussion but it was “unfair” to attack the Government and question its motives. Azad shot back saying they are within their rights to do so during the Zero Hour.