Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien on Monday associated himself with the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha over the issue of quality of food served in the trains saying the Government should look into it as the matter is "serious". His observation came days after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) noted in its report that food served by Indian Railways is unfit for consumption by humans.
Other issues flagged in the Rajya Sabha included reported conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart regarding Palestine, protest by Trinamool and AIADMK members over National Eligibility and Entrance Examination (NEET), status of cleaning Ganga project, presence of Rohingyas in Jammu and ladakh and privilege notice against a TV channel for distorting Naresh Agrawal's (Samajwadi Party) remarks regarding Hindu deities.
Raising the issue of food served in trains, Revati Raman Singh(SP) the quality was substandard and even the CAG had now pulled up the Railways.
While it had raised passenger fares in the last three years since the NDA government came to power, quality of food had gone down, he said.
The Opposition, led by Congress, also tried to corner the government over reported remarks of the Israeli Prime Benjamin Nethanyahu on Prime Minister Narendra Modi not going to Palestine during his visit to Israel.
Anand Sharma (Congress) said an audio released by a reputed Israeli newspaper stated Netanyahu, during a close-door session with leaders from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia in Budapest told them that Modi chose the Jewish state visit to procure technology and water and, in the process ignored Palestine.
He said India had always followed a balanced foreign policy since Independence and always expressed solidarity with Palestine. His party colleague A K Antony said it has far reaching implications and is not a small issue.
Several Opposition members grilled the government over the alleged tardy progress in cleaning river Ganga. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said work on a new Ganga law to lay down guidelines for cleaning the holy river and implement the 'Namami Gange' programme is underway and will be shared with the states.
Earlier, the government was embarrassed when a BJP member Baswaraj Patil said if plans are made in "hawa"(air) then desired results cannot be achieved. He made this comment while a posing a question on the same issue to Minister of State for Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sanjeev Kumar Balyan.
TMC and AIADMK MPs expressed concern over the issue of different question papers framed for students attempting NEET in regional languages in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Health Minister J P Nadda said the Tamil Nadu MPs had met him last week over the issue and the government was looking into it.
On the issue of reported distorting of remarks by SP MP Naresh Agrawal about Hindu deities by a television channel, Kurien said it amounted to breach of privilege.
He made this remark after K T S Tulsi(Nominated) said more than 50 MPs from 12 political parties had signed a notice over the issue.
Another nominated MP, Swapan Dasgupta drew the attention of the House about the threat posed to national security by illegal migration of Rohingyas from Myanmar into Jammu and ladakh regions.
Referring to a Bangladesh government report, Dasgupta said there are at least three terrorist organisations among the Rohingyas adding "we have seen" evidence of Rohingya involvement in the blast in Bodh Gaya and in October, 2016. Moreover, one of the two militants killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir, turned out to be from Myanmar, he said.