Inflation and rail fare hike pitched the Government and the Opposition face to face in both Houses of Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session on Monday. The lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the day after the Government rejected the Opposition’s demand for adjournment motion over the twin issue, but the Rajya Sabha saw a smooth debate on these issues with the Government squarely blaming the UPA’s policies for the present scenario.
The lok Sabha witnessed three adjournments due to the ruckus created by the members of the Congress, TMC, left and AAP members, forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for the day.
Though the Government admitted for a debate under Rule 193, the Opposition MPs led by Captain Amarinder Singh insisted on an immediate debate by adjourning the proceedings of the House. As soon as the House assembled, TMC members and left MPs barged into the Well of the House shouting slogans and displaying placards. Congress MPs stood on their seats and shouted slogans.
In the Rajya Sabha, replying to a debate on the issue of price rise and rail fare hike, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley blamed policies of the UPA Government for the current economic situation of the country and said the NDA Government is yet to outline its financial road map in the Rail Budget and the General Budget.
Asserting that the NDA Government is struggling to break away from the legacy left behind by the UPA regime, Jaitley said the Government was working out innovative ways to check price rise of essential food items and inflation in general. These include directive to the States to crack down on hoarding, putting a cap on stockholding and hiking minimum export prices for onions and potatoes.
The Finance Minister said that his Government has ensured that the prices of essential commodities do not cross a particular barrier and talked about Government’s efforts to take any punitive action against hoarders and opening more Government-aided booths for smooth distribution of vegetables and food products at reasonable prices.
Jaitley assured the House that prices of food items are under control and there was no need for panic. “For the last two years, prices of onion and potato have been rising. The then Government used to wake up after prices had already risen.... We started taking steps immediately when the prices touched Rs 25 per kg, which till last year used to go up to Rs 70-80,” he said.
Justifying hike in passenger fare and freight by the Railways, Jaitley said the Government was faced with the ‘Hobson’s Choice’ on the issue. According to him the present step will help Railways in the long run in improving its financial health.
Jaitley read out a correspondence between the former Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in February to point out that they were the one who had had decided on the Rail fare hike while in power. He said the UPA deferred the tough decision till the elections, and left it for the new Government to decide and implement.
When targeted by Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, who called Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda a “Trainee Railway Minister,” Jaitley retorted back: “I do not know whether those who handled Railways in the past are the original sinners for the current situation,” indirectly targeting TMC chief and former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“He (Gowda) could have let the Railways bleed and then hidden behind some facts and said ‘I won’t raise fare’ and the country would have reached a situation few months down the road when the Railway was unable to operate,” Jaitley said.
“Does he follow the weak-kneed policies of his predecessor that unpopular decisions can’t be taken even if they are in national interest or does he then take this decision and place this fact before the country that to run the railways this decision was necessary,” Jaitley said. On Re 1 hike in diesel price, Jaitley said the Government is implementing the previous UPA’s policy of gradual monthly increase.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that even though the crop yield has been high over the years, the food prices continue to rise to due to problems in storage and distribution. Paswan added his Government is working to help sugar farmers get their Rs 13,500 crore due pending with the sugar mill owners.
The Government agreed for up an impromptu discussion on inflation on the opening day of the Budget Session after the Opposition pressed for it. Starting the debate, leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that even though BJP’s election campaign was focused on price rise and inflation the party after coming to power failed to keep its promise. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati accused the Government of starting a new trend of hiking Railway fare before the Budget.