Author: aitc

Let me begin by conveying our deepest condolences to the parents of the three families who have had this irreparable loss. No amount of words from the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.. Sir, if we say something unparliamentary, please correct us. I will sit down. Otherwise, we like our flow. Thank you, Sir. These were children, boys, who were not driving fancy cars in Pune. Nor were they running around driving their rich papa’s cars. These were the boys who were looking brightest of the brightest. This is happening all over and we convey our condolences. I want to divide what I am going to say today in two parts. One, how we have reacted in the Rajya Sabha to this. Two, I want to offer some suggestions. ‘We’ means it is all of us — the Chair and every single Member. What have we done today? We have showed speed. We have showed concern. We have showed alacrity to stop all Business, including the Budget, to convert a 267 notice and bring it to Short Duration Discussion. Good! This is the first time we are seeing this in two years. But my conscience questions as we condole those students. Did we, as the Rajya Sabha, show the same speed, concern and alacrity by converting and stopping Business to discuss railway accidents, to discuss 24 lakh boys and girls who suffered because of NEET and to discuss 60,000 men and women of a proud Indian State Manipur? Did we show the same alacrity? Did we stop all Business? Did we say, ‘No, at 1 o’clock, we will start?’ We need to ask ourselves these questions. Did we show the same alacrity when 100 people died in Assam because of floods or for 30 suicides of farmers every day — we need to reflect — or when parliamentary security was breached or to discuss an issue like unemployment? We need to ask ourselves this question. All of us need to ask ourselves this one question Part-B in the first half of my speech is not to do politics but to share with you and all of us here what really happens in a Rajya Sabha session where we can discuss something like this. I will just take 90 seconds to explain this. For this Rajya Sabha Session, the total time is 190 hours; out of that, 70 hours approximately go to the Government and 25-30 hours go to the Opposition so that we can raise issues. So, the point I am trying to make today is that this is such an important issue. There is the Congress Party or the Trinamool, which is the second largest opposition here, or the DMK, which is the third largest opposition here. I hope, in the future, our notices too are met with the same speed, concern and alacrity. I am saying this because I really want to feel that the notices today…. Sir, it is not about this issue alone, it is about broader performance… Sir, will you protect me or am I to engage with someone sitting down and passing comments? Please protect me. Sir, these are the issues which we really wanted to bring forth to you. Today was a good opportunity; it is being discussed and the Budget is on pause. Sir, let us come to one of the big issues for which all of us are responsible. It is the commodification of education. Have you addressed commodification of education in your National Education Policy? Today, there is a lot of concern, as there should be, for the three students who died but I want to take you to the capital of the commodification of these exams. That capital is in a place called ‘Kota’. Let us talk about it because it is a subject close to my heart. Long before I came to Parliament, I would ask quiz questions — people would pay me for that — to young people and with knowledge. What are we doing in Kota? Who are the powerful people, and who are the Governments and individuals who are backing these centres? I would not call them IAS centres. The issue is beyond IAS centres. The issue is on NEET. Let us discuss NEET in this session of Parliament. There is no running away from that. Pause the Budget tomorrow and day after. Let us discuss NEET. In Kota, there were 26 suicides in 2023. And what do we do to prevent the suicides? They changed the system of fans. That won’t help. We need some more basics. This year in Kota, there have been 13 suicides. As a nation, what do we owe to our students when out of every 100 suicides, ten are student suicides? Here, we want to discuss saying you did that and we did that. If we are going to take up these issues of Short Duration Discussion, if we are going to take up the issues of Calling Attention Motion, I plead with you and I urge you to please allow all sections of the House so that we can have a proper discussion on these issues. Sir, there are various ways where students try and improve. What is that film? 12th Fail! I saw ’12th Fail’, the film. I learnt more about the system from ’12th Fail’ and I want to end. I don’t want to quote. Education must be handled by people who understand education. I do not want to tell this House, before I end, who wrote a book called ‘Exam Warriors’. When you are not qualified to write ‘Exam Warriors’, do not write. The name of the book is ‘Exam Warriors’ and sometimes, we had students who knew the answer but would still ask the question. So, the name of the book is ‘Exam Warriors’. It was written by a very famous person. Thank you, Sir.

Sir, we all know that when internationally the cost of crude oil and natural gas decreases a lot, then the cost over here, in our country, of petrol, diesel and natural gas is increasing day-by-day in the last ten years. Is it not the Union Government, कम दाम मेंखरीदतेहैंऔर ज्यादा कीमत मेंबेचतेहैं। Sir, how it will be justified by the Union Government? �धान मं�ी जी की गांरटी को, तो हम रेफरेंस देना चाहतेहैं, जैसेिमिनस्टर साहब नेबताया, हम रेफरेंस देना चाहतेहैंिक 2013 मेंइंटरनेशनली पर यूिनट �ू ड ऑयल की कीमत 3.73 यू.एस. डॉलर थी और 2023 में 2.53 यू.एस. डॉलर हो गई है। यह बहुत कम हो गई है। सर, 2013 मेंएक गैस िसलेंडर का दाम 410 �पयेथा और अभी.. अब यह होता हैिक कभी िसलेंडर की कीमत 803 �पये, 703 �पये और कभी-कभी 1,000 �पयेभी होती है। वषर् 2013 में�ू ड ऑयल के इम्पोटर् की वैल्यूएशन 105 यू.एस. डॉलर थी और अभी कम होकर 77 यू.एस. डॉलर हुई। यह बहुत कम हो गई है। लेिकन जब पे�ोल का दाम 74 था 2013 में, अभी 2023 में 90 हो गया। और जब 52 था, वह बढ़कर 100 हो गया। क्या माननीय मं�ी जी इसको ज�स्टफाई करेंगे?

Sir, I would like to ask the hon. Minister how he can say that he is not aware of one of the lasting scandals of the last ten years, of an import made by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, TANGEDCO, of coal from Indonesia, which was marked and priced at 6,000 calories per kilogram whereas the purchase in Indonesia proves beyond doubt that it was only 3,500 calories per kilogram. Twentyone international bodies have written to the Chief Justice of India a month before last in an unprecedented move to resolve this case of blatant corruption by the Adani family. Sir, how can he say ‘no’ to it? That’s all.

िडप्टी चेयरमैन सर, मेरा िवषय फू ड इन्फ्लेशन पर तत्काल िनयं�ण की आवश्यकता सेसंबंिधत है। खा� वस्तुओं की बढ़ती कीमत एक बहुत ही िंचताजनक समस्या बन चुकी है। हाल के आंकड़ों सेपता चलता हैिक �ामीण एवं शहरी, दोनों क्षे�ों के िलए कं ज्यूमर फू ड इन्फ्लेशन 9.36 परसेंट दजर्की गई। वास्तव में, जुलाई, 2023 सेफू ड इन्फ्लेशन लगातार बढ़ रही है। जुलाई, 2023 सेजून, 2024 तक फू ड इन्फ्लेशन लगभग 8.5 परसेंट रही है। खा� वस्तुओं की लगातार बढ़ रही इन्फ्लेशन नेदेश के हर नागिरक को �भािवत िकया है, िजसमेंसबसेअिधक मार िनम्न आय वगर् के पिरवारों पर पड़ी है। बढ़ती खा� कीमतों नेपिरवार के पास अन्य आवश्यक वस्तुओ को खरीदनेया बचत के िलए कम पैसा छोड़ा है। घरेलूबचत के आंकड़ों मेंस्पष्ट है िक यह 50 वष� के िनचलेस्तर पर पहुंच चुकी है। अगर हम िपछली सरकार एवं वतर्मान सरकार की तुलना करें, तो पाएंगेिक िपछली सरकार के समय मेंएक िकलो अरहर दाल की कीमत 75 �पयेथी, अब 150 �पयेपहुंच चुकी है; एक लीटर मस्टडर्ऑयल की कीमत अगर 110 �पयेथी, तो अब वह 200 �पयेपर पहुंच चुकी है; एक कु िंकग गैस िसलेंडर का दाम अगर 400 �पयेथा, तो वह अब 1,100 �पयेपर पहुंच चुका है; एक िकलो प्याज का दाम अगर 28 �पयेथा, तो वह अब 60 �पयेतक पहुंच चुका है; एक िकलो बैंगन की कीमत अगर 30 �पयेथी, तो वह आज 80 �पयेतक पहुंच चुकी है; एक िकलो टमाटर की कीमत अगर 30 �पयेथी, तो वह आज 80 �पयेतक पहुंच चुकी हैएवं एक िकलो चीनी का दाम अगर 28 �पया था, तो वह 40 �पयेतक पहुंच चुका है। वास्तव मेंयह एक िंचता का िवषय है। घरेलु देनदारी बढ़ रही है। उपसभापित महोदय, मैंआपके माध्यम सेसरकार सेयह दरख्वास्त करता हूं िक वह food inflation को कं �ोल करनेकी व्यवस्था करे। बंगाल के िडवाइड की बात छोिड़ए, उ�र बंगाल, दिक्षण बंगाल नहीं है, बंगाल एक हैऔर एक ही रहेगा। हर नागिरक को सुिवधा देनेके िलए food inflation को कं �ोल करना ज़�री हैएवं गरीब सेगरीब और असहाय सेअसहाय पिरवार के िलए inflation control करना ज़�री है।

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to speak. In 2016, we had sent a proposal to the Home Ministry to change West Bengal’s name to ‘Bengal’ in English, ‘Bangla’ in Bengali and ‘Bangal’ in Hindi. But the Ministry advised us to use the name ‘Bangla’ in all the three languages. Therefore, on July 26, 2018, the Bengal Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to change the name of our State from West Bengal to Bangla. However, the proposal is lying with the Union Government and they have not taken any steps whatsoever. Six years have got completed. Since the present Government came to power in 2014, it has been on a re-naming spree, changing the names of roads, railway stations, historical places and institutions at their whim. Yes, when it comes to Bengal, its step-motherly attitude is apparent with the lackadaisical approach towards our request, though the Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the Resolution. Moreover, after Independence, there have been changes in the names of States and cities, like from Orissa to Odisha, Pondicherry to Puducherry, Madras to Chennai, Bombay to Mumbai and Bangalore to Bengaluru. The demand to change West Bengal’s name to Bangla is based on the sentiments of the people of the State and our reverence towards our mother tongue. Please don’t deprive Bengal.