February 8, 2023
Jawhar Sircar’s speech on February 8, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address
Mr. Chairman, Sir, thank you very much for giving me the honour of speaking on the President’s Address. The President’s Address is mooted on one concept of Amrit Kaal. We have noticed it. So, I would like to know from you and from our other friends as to what this Amrit Kaal is. अमृत काल क्या है? Have we crossed Achhe Din or are we still to reach Achhe Din? Year after year, these terms like Amrit Kaal, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav are invented. मुझेआजादी के अमृत महोत्सव पर दो शब्द कहनेहैंिक we were very glad to see those of them, whose genetic ancestors, whose political ancestors, did not take part in Azadi, freedom struggle, were celebrating . Please put the House in order. As I was saying, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav became a celebration for the atonement of those who had not participated in India’s freedom struggle. If you want, I can produce those documents. Talking of the other one, Achhe Din . Sir, I hope that this time is not deducted from my very limited account. We were talking about Achhe Din, Amrit Kaal, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. These terms are invented every now and then to distract attention. As I said, ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ was an atonement by those who did not take part in the freedom struggle. Now, as we move forward, there is another term, ‘Achche Din’. I was most expectant, like many other Indians, to be part of the Independence Day of last year, 2022, because several promises were made that were going to happen by the Independence Day of 2022. The first promise was that the farm income would be doubled by August, 2022. Has it happened? I leave it to the wisdom of the House. There was another promise that was repeated several times over the social media and the IT cell of a particular party that we were heading towards a five trillion dollar economy and that it would be achieved by 15th August, 2022. We are nowhere near the five trillion dollar economy. We were promised that we would ride the bullet train on 15th August, 2022. Only 25 per cent of the work has been completed. We were told that there would be electricity in every house on 24X7 basis by 15th of August, 2022. I leave it to the House to see whether it has happened or not. We were promised that Indian astronauts would be up there in the space by that night. I started looking up, but I could not find any Indian astronaut. I don’t know whether these are promises, whether these are ‘Achche Din’, whether these are part of ‘Amrit’! Somebody from their party called them jumlas. Now, the biggest jumla, as you know, was that Rs.15 lakhs would be put in everyone’s pocket. That is nowhere in the scene. Nowhere has it happened. But, the movie that was opposed, Pathaan, that represents the essence of plurality, the essence that represents our oneness, has secured record earnings. Maybe the amount of Rs.15 lakhs will come from there. We believe in multi-culturalism. We believe in multi-religionism. When we look at the smallest regions, one appeal that I would like to make on behalf of my Party and on behalf of the neglected people of Meghalaya is that Garo and Khasi be placed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. An official request has been made in this respect. I repeat it. Now, coming back to the President’s Address, I draw sustenance from para 9, 10 and 13 which have focussed attention on corruption. As you can guess, the most live issue of corruption now is about a particular conglomerate. Now, enough has been spoken about that issue, but the only thing that I would like to highlight is the role of the regulatory authorities. I have served in the regulatory authority bodies and in the Civil Service. The way the regulatory authorities collapsed in the face of hard facts when Adani Green Energies’ share value shot up by 5,500 per cent in 2.5 years, no regulatory, including SEBI, did look the other way round. At every point of time, the Reserve Bank has failed us. At every point of time during this economic scam, the DRI has failed us. Of course, the DRI did take some steps, to be correct, but certainly not commensurate with the steps that should have been taken. The most glaring example of missing an action was the Enforcement Directorate and the PMLA. They were so busy raiding the Opposition that they did not find time to look at one of the biggest scams in the history of India. Our Party has supported the claim to send this to a JPC. There is no point in discussing it in the House, but we would go one step higher and we would place forward a demand for a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry, and a time-bound report will, perhaps, be even a stronger way of ensuring that we have taken this seriously, that the whole House has taken this seriously. This Address mentions about poverty, but what poverty are you talking about? I am unable to understand because the entire basis is a report, that the consumer expenditures are there, which was done last in 2011-12, before this Government came into office, about eleven years ago. In the last eleven years or rather nine years of this Government, they did not undertake any consumer expenditure survey. One report that came out in 2017-18 was taken off from the website because it showed the uncharitable picture of this Government. We demand that the final consumer survey that is finally happening should be put out in the public domain as soon as possible so that we know whether India’s poor constitutes eight crore or more. Sir, the Prime Minister and others have said with a lot of pride that they have been giving free food to 81 crore people. If 81 crore Hindustanis are lining up for free foodgrains — and nobody can remove it now — does it mean that 81 crore out of 140 crore are poor? You revise your lines of poverty, you revise your norms of poverty but come forward with facts, come forward with facts. As far as tackling poverty is concerned, as everyone knows, popular schemes MNREGA and others help but budget of MNREGA has been slashed from Rs. 111 crores to Rs. 89 crore last year and to Rs. 60 crore. Out of this, West Bengal has been selected maliciously for complete stoppage of MNREGA funds. You should come to Bengal to see how the welfare schemes are conducted. Without the success of such schemes, we could not have resisted the massive onslaught that was thrown at us in 2021. With all the power of the State and with all the wealth that was possible, the people of West Bengal rejected it with 48 per cent majority because of welfare schemes. Please do take the trouble to come to West Bengal for learning how to conduct welfare schemes. Sir, one point towards which I would like to draw the attention of my friends on both sides is that very soon we will move to new Parliament building but not a minute’s discussion has been held with the users of Parliament. I have some insight because for the last one and a half years, I have been pursuing it with the Minister concerned who gives Minister-type answers. Because not even one consultation has been held, we do not know what facilities will be there. When I enquired, they said, no, we won’t have State Bank there. आपको बैंिंकग के िलए बार-बार उस िब�ल्डग से इस िब�ल्डग मेंआना है। This space has been utilized for grand hall far beyond our requirement in the near future, and, I see a plan behind the large hall. You know that, Sir. As it is, fifty per cent of the Members are outside, maybe in the lobby and other places, for doing their other important things. So, when the camera pans at the House, it looks half-empty as it is even now. But if the hall size is made one and a half times more, the TV camera will show that hon. Members of Parliament do not take the House seriously. It is part of the narrative that Parliament is not required; Parliament has to be belittled. In one State Assembly — I am talking about the State of Gujarat — the Assembly sittings were reduced to 29 days in a year. Is some similar grand plan of belittling the legislature also on for the national Parliament? Secondly, Sir, why am I talking about consultation? It is not only for the facility. Look at the building; look at the grandeur of this building; that has lotuses; that has all Indian symbols all around. And, you see the triangular building. You won’t get the same gravitas; you won’t get the same splendor. At every point of time, aesthetics has been cast upon us. That aesthetic will remain as a permanent memory of poor architecture and this has been done by an architect specially chosen from Gujarat who is taking Rs. 250 crores for advising on a completely unaesthetic building. Sir, let me now come to the subject of health, which has been repeatedly mentioned. Ayushman Bharat has saved eighty thousand crores of rupees. I have gone through the entire health expenditure budget and I found that it is almost 100 per cent of the Budget. Where do they get these figures from? Where do they obtain these figures from? If the officers are misleading them, then, question them as to where do they get such figures from. You talk of 9,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras – one Kendra for 155 lakh people and you are proudly mentioning that in your Report! Hundred and fifty five lakh people will go to one kendra. सर, इस पर िदमाग लगाइए। I will take only one more minute. Our total health expenditure is just 3.6 per cent of the GDP. I could not help mention it. The Western world has 12 to 19 per cent; China has 5.6 per cent; Mexico has 6 per cent and we are at half of it. We should hang our heads in collective shame that we have not been able to look after the health sector the way we should have looked after it. Sir, I thank you for the time given to me.
