March 10, 2015
Trinamool Govt is always there to provide constructive opposition: Derek O’Brien | Transcript
Full transcript:
Sir, I will just take four minutes to make four points.
Sir, the basic thing which we are saying is that we want to make some constructive suggestions.
The first one is the extension of the area of mining and the second one Sir, is to do with Clause 18 and 20 where the Government has made a lot of statements about Cooperative Federalism. So the point which we want to make is that please take the State Governments into confidence. Please work it out in such a way where the State Government will not be harassed, will not be run over.
If this can be assured by the Government we have no issues and on that point on going along with this Bill. But this needs to be addressed; the State Governments have to be taken into confidence. However, Clause 18 and 20, there is some issue on that.
Then we come to the District Mineral Foundation and the National Mineral Exploration. That overall is a good idea, but you have not told us in detail how this will be organised. What is the organisational structure?
Our constructive suggestion are these, please consider putting this in the rules so we all know how that is going to be constructed. How it is going to be made up.
In fact while on that point there is an issue of the welfare of the tribals and no doubt this has to be addressed in the most serious manner possible in the DMF – should the Adivasis and the tribals have a decisive management in that DMF, so that they feel that they are a part of this. These are constructive suggestions you will get from Trinamool.
It is not that we will sit here and oppose everything; we are opposed to certain sections. We have issues on the way you handle federalism. We have other bigger issues on how you handle communal issues of the country. We are telling you to tread carefully on federalism and please take the states into confidence. You are doing a lot of talk on federalism, once we see that the talk comes into action on the ground, we will be with you. You will have to be very careful to see that you do not run roughshod on the States.
The Adivasis is a big issue. We have given you a concrete, solid, actionable way where you can get around them, because 40% of those mining districts are of the Adivasis.
The last is an ecological point. On the ecological point, you haven’t addressed the issue of closure of mines which the UPA II Bill had done very well in the 2011 Bill. If you can address the ecological issue, because it is a very open ended question on the closure of the mines, and once the mines don’t shut down there are sustainable development issues and ecological issues. I urge the Government to quickly address the issues in the best way possible.
Trinamool is always there to provide constructive opposition and we will continue to do that.
Thank you.
