Derek O’Brien – Page 17 – All India Trinamool Congress

Derek O’Brien speaks during farewell to retiring members | Full Transcript

Posted on April 23, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Full Transcript

Stranger things have happened in Parliamentary democracy where somebody from my party stands up by choice and not by compulsion to bid a warm farewell to two MPs from the CPI(M) and CPI. I do this, as I said, by choice not by compulsion. This is the greatness parliamentary democracy of our. We may have serious differences with their ideology and despise them politically, but when we walk in through these doors, in the best way possible, we try and participate in the parliamentary democracy.

So, a very warm welcome back to Mr Ravi and a very warm farewell Mr Achuthan and very especially to P Rajeeve. During UPA II, we were working pretty much together on a number of things. Now that things have changed, we are still in the middle. We wish them well. We wish them happiness in whatever they do and all the best to the families.

I want to end by giving you a piece of information which I think is very important for the House. What does P in P Rajeeve’s name stand for? I have that answer. The P stands for Parliamentary Rajeeve.

RS: Trinamool opposes statement by minister on draconian land ordinance

Posted on April 23, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool Congress today strongly protested against the Statement by Minister explaining the circumstances which had necessitated immediate legislation by promulgation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015.

Voicing the party’s dissent to the draconian law, the leader of the party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien said this anti-farmer, anti-people ordinance must be scrapped. He added that Trinamool has been consistent in its opposition to the draconian land bill.

As a token of protest, a Trinamool MP also tore up the agenda papers which listed the statement by minister in business for the day.

Trinamool ready to face any challenge: Abhishek Banerjee at Bankura

Posted on April 23, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Addressing thousands of people gathered in spite of immense heat, Trinammol Youth Congress President Abhishek Banerjee urged people to be beside Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee as always. Mr Banerjee was addressing at a campaign rally for the forthcoming Municipal Election 2015.

The Trinamool Youth Congress President urged the gathered mass to elect the Trinamool Congress candidates in all the 24 wards in the Bankura municipality.

Mr Banerjee said that the opposition leaders are spreading slander campaigns against Ms Mamata Banerjee through some television channels. But these people are not aware that one cannot be equal to Ms Mamata Banerjee in that manner. People are aware of the struggles of Ms Mamata Banerjee during the last 32-33 years, said Abhishek. He reminded the gathered mass that Ms Mamata Banerjee was beside the downtrodden, those seeking justice and was the voice against all undemocratic practices.

Abhishek Banerjee reminded the people that in spite of becoming the Chief Minister of West Bengal, there have been no change in the mentality of Ms Mamata Banerjee. She still travels from district to district. People in the districts had hardly seen the past two Chief Ministers, but Ms Mamata Banerjee has visited the Hills and the Jangalmahals numerous times, brought peace and resulted in development for these areas.

Abhishek urged the opposition to compete in developmental works, leaving aside the campaigns of slander. He said that Trinamool Congress was ready to take such challenges.

MPs Derek O’Brien, Moonmoon Sen and singer-activist Indranil Sen were present on the occasion.

Vote for Trinamool, Vote for Mamata: Abhishek Banerjee in Bardhaman

Posted on April 21, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

“Vote for Mamata!” was MP and president of Trinamool Youth Congress, Abhishek Banerjee’s rallying cry at the public meeting for the municipal election in Memari, in Bardhaman district, on Monday. Earlier in the evening, in Kalna (also in Bardhaman district), on the occasion of another municipal election-campaign meeting, Abhishek Banerjee underscored the Trinamool Chairperson’s championing role in the party, saying, “Those who have stood as candidates for the party, are all Mamata Banerjees.”

Monday saw another round of mammoth campaign rallies in Kalna and Memari. Senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Derek O’Brien and another leader, noted singer Indranil Sen had also joined Abhishek Banerjee in urging the masses to vote to victory Trinamool Congress once again. And there was no doubt, seeing the huge crowds at both the places.

Derek O’Brien backed Abhishek by saying, “You don’t need to worry about who has been chosen, or not chosen, as a candidate. Press the twin flowers-labelled button and your vote will reach Kalighat straight.”

To allegations of poll-related violence, Abhishek Banerjee emphatically responded, “The opposition is making false accusations about poll-centric violence during the Kolkata corporation elections. Let them prove even one such incident.” The CPI(M), the Congress and the BJP have not managed to do even 5 per cent of the developmental work done by Trinamool, he added.

Trinamool MPs meet Rail Minister to expedite funds for pending projects in Bengal

Posted on March 18, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

A delegation of the All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party met the Railway Minister urging him to clear funds for pending railway projects in Bengal. The fund allocation for the State has come down sharply from Rs 10,000 Crore (in 2011-12) to Rs 3615 Crore (for 2015-16).

During a discussion on the Railway Budget, TMC MPs in both the Houses raised the issue of inadequate allocations for railway projects. In a letter to the Rail Minister, Trinamool MPs urged the Minister to address the issue on an urgent basis. If projects are stalled, people of the State will face hardship, they said.

The letter also said that the party was not asking for any new major project but, wanted the Minister to clear the existing ones. They also thanked the Minister for acknowledging the visionary contribution of Ms Mamata Banerjee, former Railway Minister during his reply on the Budget.

The letter was signed by Derek O’Brien, Leader of All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party (Rajya Sabha), Kalyan Banerjee, Chief Whip of All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party (Lok Sabha) and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Chief Whip of All India Trinamool Congress Party (Rajya Sabha).

Letter from AITC delegation to Railway Minister

Click here to download the letter

Derek O’Brien raises question on Central assistance to States for setting up industry | Transcript

Posted on March 18, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

The Minister has quite correctly pointed out in her answer only DIPP and ILDP, which are small amounts of money comparatively.

Sir, I have a specific question for which I have to give you three little statistics – the first one Sir, the growth in the service sector in Bengal has been 6.9% compared to National average of 7.9%. The industrial growth (national average) has been 1% nationally and in Bengal it has been in 9% last year. On the GDP growth – on the national it has been 7% and the GSDP at the state level has been about 10%.

The Question is, will the Hon’ble Minister consider using this model which has worked pretty well to shore up the numbers in states that have been in a similar situation like this, which have had a lot of debt stress. Under these conditions this model has worked well, so will the Minister consider using this model in a few other states?

Trinamool MPs slam the Government on the Railway Budget 2015-16

Posted on March 16, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool MPs Derek O’Brien and Nadimul Haque slammed the Railway Budget 2015-16 in Rajya Sabha, calling it anti common people.

Derek O’ Brien raised the issue of allocation of funds for pending projects in Bengal and gave suggestions regarding passenger and falling freight issue. He pointed out the current document was almost identical to the Vision 2020 document made in the time of Mamata Banerjee as Railway Minister.

Derek O’Brien pointed out that on counts of doubling, gauge conversion, growth of freight loading, growth of passengers originating, Railways performed much better during the tenure of Mamata Banerjee as the Railway Minister, rather than in 2013-14. He also asked the Minister to have a relook on the accounting system, which presently works on a system, which is 95 year old. He reiterated the stand of not supporting FDI in Railways.

“Freight in the Railways has come down from 60% to something like 30%. This is a big loss. I want to make here is that you have to stop competing with road and become a partner of the roads. Like Procter and Gamble (P&G), you should become Prabhu and Gadkari (P&G). Both of you have to work together,” saying that there should be unity in rail and road sector.

He criticised the Government for cutting down the allocations for metro projects and workshops and hollow promise of ‘look east’. He urged the current Government to preserve the only steam engine train run in Darjeeling which is a national heritage.

Click here for the full speech of Derek O’Brien.

Nadimul Haque called this Budget as anti poor. He termed this to be a joke on the poor people. He slammed the Government for not looking towards the backward region of the country. Despite the fact, that oil prices have decreased, the Government has increased the freight fares, which will hurt the common people and prices of essential goods will increase.

“Railway along with being a National Asset is also a strategic Defense Asset where the PPP model will only benefit corporates. Railway is th elifeline of India’s large population, do not treat it just as a commercial entity”, he said.

Click here for the full speech of Nadimul Haque.

Derek O’Brien speaks on the alleged gang rape of a nun in Ranaghat | Transcript

Posted on March 16, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Full transcript:

Sir,

After Nirbhaya, all of us in this House and in this Nation thought it cannot get any worse. We cannot be any more brutal than as those men were two years ago.

Unfortunately, day before yesterday, in Ranaghat in Bengal, we saw another shameless act of brutality. This is not an issue where anyone wants to do any politics with, that is why I thought it would be proper to give a Notice and bring this issue up here in the Rajya Sabha.

Sir, it is a very sad incident and frankly all that the State Government can do is to show some swift action and get some action done. Within a few hours of this incident, a CID probe had been ordered and 7 people have been detained. I will not indulge in politics and compare one incident to the other; this is not the occasion to do it. I think the issue is bigger. For all you know, it may have been a dacoity in the straight sense. So, I do not want to come to any conclusion. But the issue is bigger Sir.

The issue is one of women’s rights. The issue is one of the safety of the people who run these minority institutions. The issue is one of respecting our mothers, our sisters and making India a safer place to live in.

Sir, at some point we have to understand that both the rapist and their victims are us, because sometime the way we act in these cases is itself shameless.

Trinamool opposes Insurance Bill in Rajya Sabha

Posted on March 12, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Leader of Trinamool Congress in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, today opposed the Insurance Bill which seeks to increase the cap on FDI in insurance sector from 26% to 49%.

He said, “In the last five years, the insurance penetration has dropped by 1%. FDI in insurance, has given you Rs 7,800 crore and LIC Dividend has given you Rs 12,000 to 14,000 crore in the last 10 years.”

He raised the point that average annual premium that an individual has to pay, for the private insurance companies is Rs 60,000 whereas for LIC is it only Rs 9,000.

Regarding claim settlement, Derek O’Brien said, “LIC’s settlement figure is at 99.86 % whereas private sector is at 79%. These are IRDA figures. Lapse ratio for LIC is 5% as compared to 47% in private sector insurance.”

He warned the Government of the dangers of exposure to global recession and reminded the Government of how AIG had to be bailed out with $ 200 billion.

Trinamool Congress walked out of Rajya Sabha on this Insurance Bill issue.

Click here for the transcript of Derek O’Brien’s speech

Trinamool raises matters of national importance during Zero Hour in RS

Posted on March 11, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool Congress member in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien today expressed concern over Maharashtra government banning consumption of beef, saying the ban would not only have an economic impact but the punishment for eating the meat has become more than that for sexual harassment.

Raising the issue during Zero hour, Mr O’Brien said the issue should not be looked through the “religious prism” as lot of people besides minorities, including Dalits and those in the Northeast, ate beef which is “poor man’s protein”.

The ban, he said, would lead to a hike in prices of other meat like fish and chicken and affect the livelihood of people associated with the trade.

It was going to affect farmers, he said, adding that Maharashtra faces 55 per cent shortage of fodder and banning slaughter of sick and old animals would aggravate the crisis.

“The fine for sexual harassment case is less than eating a particular meat within the confines of one’s home,” he said adding the ban would “change the fabric of the Constitution”.

As BJP members opposed his submission but Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien ruled that a member has a right to raise any issue of public interest and those who disagree should give notice and raise it appropriately.

Click here for full speech of Derek O’Brien.

Nadimul Haque questioned the Government’s decision to reduce the numbers of Nirbhaya Centres. He said that the decision was a shameful one and the Government should take up the issue seriously as it is of national importance.

Click here for full speech of Nadimul Haque