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The Trinamool Congress today gave a statement on the BJP trying to avoid any discussion in Parliament on the genocide that happened in Delhi, and the healing touch needed for the people affected. Reproduced below is the statement. 

Statement by Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party at 1 PM

In both the Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the Mo-Sha duo have given the direction to not let any discussion happen. They have been trying to  kill every institution in this country. And now the attack is on the Parliament. 

What is happening is unprecedented. Yesterday the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha said the Government is ready for a discussion. All the opposition parties are ready for a discussion. Floor leaders of the three largest Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha all gave notices today under 267.  

However, the subject was not read out. The Government does not want the subject to be read out. And now they have said that they will discuss it next week. The Home Minister was supposed to lay a paper on the table of the House. He ran away from that also. Instead, he got his junior to read and lay it. 

Trinamool’s notice today said the message of healing after the Delhi genocide has to go from Parliament. This is a sad state of affairs where Parliament is being treated like another back office of the BJP. But we will keep up the fight. 

On behalf of the All India Trinamool Congress, some startling facts.

The 267 notice in the Rajya Sabha is given to take up for urgent discussion any issue affecting the nation. This is the purpose of Rule 267. You  stop all other business and start discussion on the issue at 11 o’clock in the morning. 

The last 267 notice was taken up about three-and-a-half years ago. This is shameful! On November 16, 2016, discussion happened on the issue of demonetisation. 

Before that, in 2015, there was a discussion under 267 on agrarian crisis. Prior to that, there was one in 2014 on attack on the secular fabric of the country and before that, in the same year, on price rise and food inflation.

It is a matter of shame that from November 2016 the megalomaniacal duo have not allowed any discussion under Rule 267 in Parliament.

Excerpts of the interview of Bengal Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra

The Indian economy was already in the ICU. Now the Budget gas sent the economy from the ICU to the ventilator.

The Budget is anti-people, is thoughtless and has left out those at the bottom of the pyramid in every manner possible.

Before the Budget, GDP was at an 11-year-low, private consumption was at a seven-year-low, investments were at a 17-year-low, manufacturing was at a 15-year-low, agriculture was at a four-year-low. Now of these have been addressed in the Budget.

A radical reduction has taken place in the funds for agriculture, health, education and scheduled castes-scheduled tribes welfare – together constituting a reduction of 8.9 per cent.

This massive reduction in crucial sectors implies the Government of India does not have any vision about social infrastructure.

Contrast this with Bengal: government investment in agriculture has grown by nine times, in social sector by 4.5 times – this is the greatness of Mamata Banerjee’s vision, of taking those at the bottom at the pyramid and placing them in the centre-stream of the economy.

Shockingly, in this Budget, the allocation for MGNREGA, or 100 Days’ Work, has been reduced. Contrast this with Bengal: it is number one in 100 Days’ Work in the country – highest number of days, highest allocation of work.

The allocation for the National Health Mission has also been reduced – by one per cent. This was never seen before.

In this Budget, there was no mention of giving employment to the unemployed; it is as if the unemployed don’t exist. Instead, what was seen was privatisation – of the Railways and the LIC, the LIC into which all of us common people have invested. And LIC has been put into the ICU already – it’s non-performing assets (NPA) amount to Rs 30,000 crore. The Budget has taken an institution that all should be supporting, that was already in the ICU and moved it into the privatisation mode for it to be eaten.

Now comes the question of tax reduction for the middle class. What is shocking is this tax reduction is nothing but a bluff – given with one hand and taken away more with the other. The standard deduction of Rs 50,000 won’t be applicable any more, if one opts for it. The deduction on small savings (PPF, NSC) is no longer there, so is the deduction on life insurance and medical insurance, and on contribution into the new pension scheme of Rs 50,000.

Another doing away with tax deduction with serious implications for ordinary people is the one on loans for affordable housing; at least the interest was tax deductible – not any more. This will have a very serious effect on the housing industry which in turn will have consequences on agricultural income spending because the common workers of the housing industry come from rural areas. They will not come any more.

So what is the entirety of the Budget? On the one hand, there is reduction in spending on social infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, and on the other, you are giving the sop of tax reduction, through which, though, shamelessly taking away much more than giving.

And finally, there is all this talk of PPP (public-private partnership) and privatisation, when many such similar ideas have not worked before.

On the behalf of Trinamool, I want to say this is a Budget that is thoughtless, visionless, as there is no long-term thinking, and in a way, has failed the Indian economy, has let go of the opportunity of pulling the latter out of the gloom and doom. Here was an opportunity lost. The bus has been missed, and the cost will be paid by the common people of India. What a shame! God save India from the hands of those with no vision, no strategy; only words, two-and-a-half hours of speaking on the Budget but ultimately empty words, as an empty vessel that keeps clanging.

Watch the interview here.

Thirteen new books penned by Bangla Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were unveiled at the Kolkata International Book Fair on January 28.

Six of the 13 books are in Bengali, six in English, and one in Urdu. One of the books is a collection of 946 Bengali poems christened “Kabita Bitan”, penned by the Trinamool Congress chief, who also paints and composes songs.

Among other titles are “Why We Are Saying No NRC, No CAA”, “Bengal Can”, “Bengal Heritage”, “Laho Pronam Chhoray, Chhoray”.

Describing books as a “man’s real friend”, Mamata Banerjee said their role is acknowledged in developing consciousness and knowledge. Banerjee’s first book “Upalabdhi” was published in 1995.

Mamata Banerjee has penned a poem, ‘Gorje Otho’ (‘Roar’). Earlier too she had penned poems on the issue of the anti-people policies of CAA, NRC and NPR. She has led protests across the State. Poetry has always been one of her poems. Once again she has taken up the pen.

Click to read her Facebook post.

The State Agriculture Department is organising Krishi Mela in all the districts to provide technical assistance to farmers, thereby improving the standard of living. The one in Siuri (Birbhum district) has already been inaugurated by the State Agriculture Minister.

The attending farmers will be given training on using modern technologies by the department’s officials so that they can increase production. They will also be able to procure equipment and apparatus at the ‘Krishi Mela’.

The department will also put on display various produces cultivated by the farmers at these ‘Krishi Mela’ in the districts.

Farmers will also get an opportunity to discuss various issues with agricultural experts. They can also get information about the loans which are offered by the State Government.

Following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s instruction, the State Agriculture Department introduced various social schemes for the farmers. The state government has been providing loans to the farmers, both for seeds and equipment (both buying and hiring), and has introduced crop insurance (called Bangla Shashya Bima), paying the full premium.

As a result of the various schemes and projects, the income of farmers has increased almost three times without adding up to production costs.