The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha on Monday accused the BJP-led Government of polarising the country and creating a “fear psychosis” among the people, alleging that it was just renaming the earlier policies without delivering their benefits to the poor and the needy.
Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the President’s address, leader of Oppositon Ghulam Nabi Azad attacked the Government for creating fear, not only among people but also among the bureaucrats and Opposition leaders.
“A fear pyschosis has set in. You cannot see when you are in power. If someone is scared to talk to the Opposition or transact with them, it is not good for democracy or freedom of speech or even freedom of business,” he said.
Azad said the President’s speech does not mention of the unfulfilled promises — be it depositing Rs 15 lakh in poor people’s bank accounts, creating of 10 crore jobs, providing MSP 50 per cent more than cost of production or ensuring lower fuel prices. Highlighting the Government’s failures, he said it has been able to construct only 50 per cent of the targeted 12 crore toilets under the Swachch Bharat so far.
The Government is not only polarising the country, but also dividing parties in the Opposition and intimidating them by using the CBI and the ED, the senior Congress leader said. This party which says claims to be “game changer” is actually just a “name changer Government” that has failed to deliver on all fronts be it providing relief to farmers and poor, generate jobs or addressing the Kashmir issue, he added.
Azad alleged that Opposition party leaders were being treated as “potential terrorists” and their phones were being tapped. “No one today talks to me over phone because they say your phone is tapped,” he claimed.
While supporting the draft triple talaq Bill, Azad objected to the stringent punishment it proposes for a man for ending marriage through instant triple talaq. “You have divided Shias and Sunnis. Now, you are dividing husband and wife. You cannot polarise the nation. What kind of division are you involved inIJ Why are you intimidating the minority community who are victims of fear psychosisIJ You should spare some section. We don’t want this New India. You have polarised it. Return us India of Gandhi where no fear existed,” Azad said.
Expressing concern over the Kashmir situation, he attacked the Government for not framing any clear policy for the troubled state.
Stating that the recently announced national health insurance scheme is another “jumla” (rhetoric) of this Government, Azad said it will only benefit insurance firms and not the ordinary citizens.
Instead of an insurance scheme for 50 crore people, he suggested that the Centre should focus on building more Government hospitals to provide cost-effective treatment to the poor.
Attacking the Government for being insensitive towards farmers, Azad said the Government is making “false promises” of doubling income by 2022, which cannot be implemented with the current Budget allocation to the farm sector.
Taking a dig at the Government on high petroleum products prices, Naresh Aggarwal (SP) said petrol and diesel prices have risen by Rs 9 and Rs 7 per litre while under UJJAWAlA scheme, only one cylinder is being given to the poor at higher refilling price of Rs 800 per cylinder.
He strongly opposed the Government’s idea of “one nation, one election” for conducting simultaneous polls to State Assemblies and the lok Sabha. “Will Yogi Baba (UP CM Yogi Adityanath) be ready for thatIJ First you should amend the Constitution that no Assembly would be dissolved before completion of its terms.”
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray (TMC) said GST and demonetisation have broken the back of the common man and they are not told how they would cope up with issues arose after that. He dubbed the President’s Address as “nothing but a compilation of ‘Mann ki Baat’ speeches of the Prime Minister.”
On holding assembly and lok Sabha elections together, he said there is no law to provide for it and, in a sarcastic note, said the Government should hold online elections under Digital India.
On triple talaq bill, he said no party was opposed to it, but it should be scrutinised by the parliamentary panel as the government cannot abolish the standard parliamentary process.
Observing that there was no reference of black money in the President’s address, Ray said “In Panama papers names of 500 Indian appeared and around 900 come on Paradise papers. These all are Indians and not from paradise. The Government should come out with a white paper on what action it has taken against the people whose names have appeared in the list.” D P Tripathi of NCP raised the problems of the girl child, saying India has 21 million unwanted girl child.