Tag: Rajya Sabha

Winter Session Week 1: Trinamool plays constructive Opposition

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During the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament, Trinamool Congress played the responsible Opposition by participating in debates, as well as cornering the government on issues of public importance.

The week began with MPs staging a dharna inside the Parliament complex against the proposed Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill. Another dharna was organised on December 21 against linking of Aadhaar to various social sector schemes.

Inside the Parliament, the party MPs spoke on important issues like delaying of the introduction of the anti-people FRDI Bill, leakage of sensitive data related to Aadhaar, stubble burning in north India, renewable energy and supplementary demands for grants.

Here is a brief summary of what Trinamool Congress MPs did all through the week:

 

LOK SABHA

Question Hour

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar asked a Supplementary Question on the importation of onions, and its quantity and price.

Aparupa Poddar asked Supplementary Questions on over-exploitation of groundwater, and cloud harvesting.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay asked a Supplementary Question on Air India.

Dinesh Trivedi asked Supplementary Questions on solar power generation.

Mumtaz Sanghamita asked Supplementary Questions on National Health Accounts.

Bills

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on the proposed shifting of the head office of the profitable Hindustan Steel Workers Construction Limited (HSCL) from Kolkata to Delhi.

Pratima Mondal spoke on the issue of manual scavenging.

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017.

Saugata Roy spoke on The Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Idrish Ali spoke on The Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on The Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Aparupa Poddar spoke on The Indian Forest (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Saugata Roy spoke on Supplementary Demands for Grants – Second Batch for 2017-18.

Saugata Roy spoke during a discussion on natural calamities in various parts of the country.

Zero Hour

Aparupa Poddar spoke on cyber-security issues related to Aadhaar.

Ratna De Nag spoke on the demand for reducing the criteria to avail disability pension.

Tapas Mondal spoke on groundwater management.
RAJYA SABHA

Zero Hour

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy spoke on the leakage of sensitive Aadhaar data of more than 130 million people.

Vivek Gupta spoke on pollution due to stubble burning in north India.

Question Hour

Nadimul Haque asked Supplementary Questions on the infrastructure of AIIMS and on possible actions against government hospitals for cases of medical negligence.

Bills

Vivek Gupta spoke on The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Nadimul Haque spoke on The Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2017.

Point of Order

Derek O’Brien made a Point of Order regarding the delaying of the introduction of the “anti-people” FRDI Bill to the Budget Session.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy made a Point of Order, asking the government to assure the House about the setting up of special courts for those who have willfully defaulted Rs 8.5 lakh crore of public money.

Derek O’Brien made a Point of Order on blacking out of RSTV on December 21.

Special Mention

Vivek Gupta spoke on privacy issues arising due to Aadhaar.

It turned out to be a productive week for the party. It raised various issues touch the common man’s life.

 

From onion prices to Aadhaar to FRDI Bill: Trinamool in Parliament today

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Five Bills, four Zero Hour mentions, two Points of Order, two questions – that’s the productivity of Trinamool MPs on the third day of the Winter Session of Parliament. From onion prices to Aadhaar to FRDI Bill – Trinamool raised issues of public importance in both Houses.

Let us take a quick look at Trinamool’s day in Parliament today.

 

RAJYA SABHA

Derek O’Brien made a Point of Order regarding the delaying of the introduction of the “anti-people” FRDI Bill to the Budget Session.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy made a Point of Order, asking the government to assure the House about the setting up of special courts for those who have willfully defaulted Rs 8.5 lakh crore of public money.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy made a Zero Hour Mention on the leakage of sensitive Aadhaar data of more than 130 million people.

Vivek Gupta made a Zero Hour Mention on pollution due to stubble burning in north India, demanding to know from the Central Government what concrete steps it would take to prevent this from recurring.

Nadimul Haque asked Supplementary Questions on the infrastructure of AIIMS and on possible actions against government hospitals for cases of medical negligence.

Vivek Gupta spoke on The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Nadimul Haque spoke on The Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2017.

Vivek Gupta made a Special Mention on Aadhaar.

 

LOK SABHA

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar asked a Supplementary Question on the importation of onions, and its quantity and price.

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on the proposed shifting of the head office of the profitable Hindustan Steel Workers Construction Limited (HSCL) from Kolkata to Delhi, and the resultant loss of employment by 100 employees.

Pratima Mondal spoke on the issue of manual scavenging – about the death of 107 manual scavengers this year, their dehumanising working conditions and the fact that the “government’s flagship programme, Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan has also failed to tackle this issue”.

Kalyan Banerjee spoke on The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2017.

Saugata Roy speaks on The Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

 

Charukala Utsav to be inaugurated today

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The West Bengal Charukala Utsav will be inaugurated today at Rabindra Sadan at 5 PM by eminent artist and Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha member, Jogen Chowdhury.

The inauguration will be followed by the felicitation of eminent artists and sculptors and the awarding of young and upcoming fine arts practitioners.

An exhibition of works by the awarded artists and sculptors will be held from today till December 3 at Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshanshala, adjacent to the Rabindra Sadan complex, from 2 PM to 8 PM.

A fine arts exhibition will be held at the Academy of Fine Arts from today till December 3, from 3 PM to 8 PM, and a fine arts exhibition will be held at Mohor Kunja from November 28 to December 7, from 2 PM to 8 PM.

Talk shows and cultural programmes will be held at Mohor Kunja every evening from November 28 to December 7. A painting exhibition will also be held at the open-air exhibition space adjacent to Charukala Bhawan.

আজ শুরু হচ্ছে পশ্চিমবঙ্গ চারুকলা উৎসব ২০১৭

রবীন্দ্রসদন প্রেক্ষাগৃহে আজ বিকেল ৫টায় পশ্চিমবঙ্গ চারুকলা উৎসবের উদ্বোধনী অনুষ্ঠানে শিল্পকলা জগতের কৃতী মানুষদের সম্মাননা জ্ঞাপন ও প্রতিভাবান তরুন শিল্পীদের পুরস্কার প্রদান করা হবে।

অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থিত থাকবেন শিক্ষা মন্ত্রী, কলকাতার মহানাগরিক, পর্যটন বিভাগের মন্ত্রী। সঙ্গে থাকবেন প্রথিতযশা শিল্পীরা।

অনুষ্ঠানে পৌরোহিত্য করবেন রাজ্য চারুকলা পর্ষদের সভাপতি শ্রী যোগেন চৌধুরী।

গগনেন্দ্র শিল্প প্রদর্শনশালায় ৩রা ডিসেম্বর পর্যন্ত রোজ বেলা ২টো থেকে রাত ৮টা অবধি চলবে শিল্পপ্রদর্শনী। একাডেমী অফ ফাইন আর্টসেও হবে শিল্পপ্রদর্শনী, রোজ বেলা ৩টা থেকে রাত ৮টা অবধি। মোহরকুঞ্জে হবে মেলা ও সাংস্কৃতিক অনুষ্ঠান। চারুকলা ভবন সংলগ্ন মুক্তমঞ্চে তথ্য চিত্র প্রদর্শনীও হবে।

Bengal Tourism Dept to train students to act as guides during World Cup

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‘Atithi Bandhu’ or ‘Friend of Guest’ – around 200 students studying Hospitality and Tourism Management courses in Kolkata have been trained to act as such during the days of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Kolkata. Ten matches, including the final would be played in the city.

They would be guides to some of the approximately 3,000 foreign tourists expected to be in the city daily during the duration of the World Cup. This number is expected to become 10,000 per day around the days of the final.

The Bengal Tourism Department is involved in getting these students trained in Spanish, Portuguese and German – languages other than English which are expected to be the mother tongues of most of the foreign tourists – at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, as well as giving them other necessary training to turn them into effective tourist guides.

Kolkata is one of the favourite cities with foreign tourists and the grand sporting occasion is expected to act as a major boost to the number. Be it Victoria Memorial, India Museum, Kalighat Temple or the other historical and cultural sites of Kolkata, or the places linked to the lives of Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray – the three most-recognised personalities from the City of Joy – these ‘Atithi Bandhus’ or ‘Friends of Guests’ would be the ideal people to interpret the significance of these places and guide tourists through them.

Details regarding the identities of these guides – like names, e-mail addresses, etc. – as well as the cost of hiring them would be available on the website of the State Tourism Department. Tourists can contact the guides directly through the website.

This is not a one-off project though. The State Government, through the Tourism Department, is going to make ‘Atithi Bandhu’ an ever-continuing project, for foreign tourists arrive in Kolkata throughout the year; and Christmas is the next big occasion.

Source: Anandabazar Patrika

 

অতিথিকে ফুটবলের শহর চেনাবে বন্ধু

 

ফুটবল-মহোৎসব দেখার পাশাপাশি এবার ফুটবলের শহরটাও ঘুরে দেখবেন বিদেশি অতিথিরা। ‘পুজোর শহর’ বদলে যাচ্ছে ‘যুব বিশ্বকাপ ফুটবলের শহরে’। ফুটবল দেখতে দেখতে কলকাতাকে দেখার ইচ্ছে হলে কোনও চিন্তা নেই। আপনাকে শহর ঘুরিয়ে দেখাবে অতিথি-বন্ধু।

চিলে, ইংল্যান্ড, ইরাকের ফুটবলারেরা ইতিমধ্যেই কলকাতায় হাজির। মেক্সিকোও দু’এক দিনের মধ্যে এসে পড়বে। চার দেশের ফুটবলারদের সঙ্গেই আসছেন কয়েক হাজার সমর্থক। এই বিদেশিদের কাছে টেনে কলকাতার পর্যটনকে জনপ্রিয় করতে এখন মরিয়া রাজ্য সরকার।

রাজ্যের নতুন অস্ত্র— ‘অতিথি-বন্ধু’। এরা আসলে হসপিটালিটি এবং ট্যুরিজম ম্যানেজমেন্টের বাছাই করা শ’দুয়েক পড়ুয়া। যাদের তৈরি করা হয়েছে বিশেষ প্রশিক্ষণ দিয়ে। ‘অতিথি-বন্ধুরা বিদেশি পর্যটকদের নিয়ে যাবেন তাঁদের পছন্দসই সাবেক কলকাতার নানা জায়গায়।

অতিথি-বন্ধুরা সকলেই ইংরেজিতে স্বচ্ছন্দ। গোলপার্ক রামকৃষ্ণ মিশন থেকে স্প্যানিশ, পর্তুগিজ ও জার্মান ভাষায় কথা বলার প্রাথমিক পাঠও তাঁদের দেওয়া হয়েছে। নাম, ই-মেল আইডি-সহ অতিথি-বন্ধুদের যাবতীয় তথ্য দেওয়া থাকছে রাজ্য পর্যটন দফতরের ওয়েবসাইটে। সেখানেই যোগাযোগ করে কথাবার্তা আগাম সেরে রাখতে পারবেন বিদেশিরা। গোটা বন্দোবস্তের অবশ্যই কিছু খরচ রয়েছে। একই ভাবে সাম্মানিক পাবেন অতিথি-বন্ধুরাও।

গ্রুপ পর্বের খেলা চলার সময়ে কলকাতায় দৈনিক গড়ে ৩ হাজার পর্যটক থাকবেন। ফাইনালের সময়ে তা ১০ হাজার ছাড়াবে। এদের থাকার জন্য শহরের পাঁচতারা হোটেলগুলি সহ ধর্মতলার আশপাশের হোটেলগুলিকেও তৈরি রাখা হচ্ছে। বিশ্বকাপ শেষ হলেও অতিথি-বন্ধুদের কাজ ফুরোবে না। কলকাতায় বিদেশিদের আনাগোনা লেগেই থাকে। বড়দিনে তা আরও বাড়বে।

 

 

Mamata Banerjee’s speech at ‘Rising Bengal’ event

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‘Rising Bengal’ is a very interesting concept. When I was told the name of the event, I felt ‘rising’ means ‘let us stand on our own feet and fight our battle’.

When I was the Railway Minister, I was asked why I do not raise the railway fares. I always maintained I have to take all sections of the society along – all castes, creeds, communities. So, as the Chief Minister, I have to do a ‘balancing act’. I have to balance industry with agriculture. I have to take care of the poor as well as industry. I have to take care of everyone

After 34 years of Left Front rule, we inherited a huge debt burden of Rs 1.78 lakh crore. Currently, we are reeling under the effects of demonetisation and GST.

The GDP of the country has come down from 8% (2015-16) to 7.8 % (2016-17). The GVA growth of the country came down from 8.7% in 2015-16 to 5.6%, during the last quarter of 2016-17. The GVA growth of industry during the fourth quarter of 2015-16 was 10.3% while that during the corresponding period of 2016-17 came down to 3.1%. Employment generation during 2011-13 was 12.8 lakh while during 2014-16 it came down to 6.4 lakh. Bank credit growth during 2015-16 was 10.3% while during 2016-17 it was only 5.1%.

If you compare the figures for India and West Bengal, the GVA growth for India was 7.3% while for Bengal it was 12.12%, the corresponding figures for growth in agriculture were 1.1% and 5.55%, in industry were 7.3% and 10.59%, and in the service sector were 9.2% and 13.99%, respectively. The growth for Index of Industrial Production (IIP) during 2011-12 was 0.94% while during 2016-17 it was 5.59%. The growth of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) general for Bengal in 2011-12 was 2.14% while during 2016-17 was 7.27%.

Despite the huge financial burden, we have excelled in the parameters of development, in the social parameters. Kanyashree is not like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, for which you have budgetary allocation of only Rs 100 crore for 29 States and 7 UTs, while for Kanyashree we have spent over Rs 5,000 crore. That is why we have received the UN Public Service Award. It is a real grassroots programme. As a result, institutional delivery in Bengal has increased hugely, the girl child dropout rate has been reduced and child marriage has been stopped.

The physical infrastructure growth in Bengal is 5.5% more than that in India, agriculture and allied sector growth is 3.5% more, even service sector growth is more than that of India’s. The per capita income of Bengal has doubled from approximately Rs 69,000 to approximately Rs 1.3 lakh in six years.

We have the advantage of social development, of land bank and land map, and of human capital. We have various social development projects. We have a roadmap for development.

We have to work for socially and economically-backward classes, the poor, the downtrodden and the minorities.

Investments in social and human capital are very important – they will give you adequate returns in the future, they will be the growth of the future. For example, the girl child will participate in the small and medium-scale industry.

Let us nurture our young generation and our girl children, and the weaker sections as well. The young are the future of the country, they are the assets of the country. Our asset is our human capital. Bengal is number one in human capital. We have got the first prize in skill development for four years. With respect to small scale industry and bank lending, Bengal is first. For five years continuously, we have got the first prize in agriculture. We have got awards for e-governance, e-tendering, e-processing and digitisation. We don’t speak much but work silently, and we have got the results. I believe that speech is silver while silence is golden. Talk less, work more – that is our motto and our vision. Thank you very much.

 

“রাইজিং বেঙ্গল” অনুষ্ঠানে বক্তব্য রাখলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী

“রাইজিং বেঙ্গল” একটি অভিনব ও আকর্ষণীয় বিষয়। যখন এই অনুষ্ঠানের শীর্ষক’টি আমি শুনি, আমার মনে হয়েছিল, “নিজের পায়ে দাঁড়াই ও নিজের লড়াই নিজে লড়ি।”

আমি যখন রেলমন্ত্রী ছিলাম, আমায় জিজ্ঞ্যস করা হত কেন আমি রেলের ভাড়া বাড়াই না? আমি সবসময় সব ধর্ম, সব জাতি, সব স্তরের মানুষকে সঙ্গে নিয়ে চলেছি। মুখ্যমন্ত্রী হিসেবেও আমাকে সবসময় “ব্যালেন্সিং অ্যাক্ট” করতে হয়। আমায় শিল্প ও কৃষি’র ভারসাম্য বজায় রাখতে হয়, গরিবের পাশাপাশি শিল্পের ওপরেও নজর দিতে হয়। আমাকে সবকিছুর খেয়াল রাখতে হয়।

৩৪ বছরের বাম শাসনের পর আমাদের মাথায় ১.৭৮ লক্ষ কোটি টাকার অর্থনৈতিক বোঝা এসে পড়ে। আমরা এখন নোটবাতিল ও জিএসটি’র প্রকোপের মধ্যে রয়েছি।

২০১৫-১৬ সালের দেশের জিডিপি ছিল ৮ শতাংশ যা ২০১৬-১৭ সালে নেমে ৭.৮ শতাংশ হয়েছে। জিভিএ গ্রোথ ২০১৫-১৬ সালের ৮.৭ শতাংশের তুলনায় ২০১৬-১৭ তে ৫.৬ শতাংশতে নেমেছে। বছরের শেষ চতুর্থাংশে ২০১৫-১৬ সালে জিভিএ ছিল ১০.৩% যা ২০১৬-১৭ সালে হয় ৩.১%। কর্মসংস্থান ২০১১-১৩ সালে ছিল ১২.৮ লক্ষ যা ২০১৪-১৬ সালে কমে হয় ৬.৪ লক্ষ। ব্যাঙ্ক ক্রেডিট গ্রোথ ২০১৫-১৬ সালে ছিল ১০.৩% যা ২০১৬-১৭ তে কমে হয় ৫.১%।

সারা ভারতের সঙ্গে বাংলার জিভিএ তুলনা করলে দেখা যাবে ভারতের জিভিএ গ্রোথ ছিল ৭.৩% সেখানে বাংলার ১২.২%। কৃষিতে ভারতের গ্রোথ ১.১% সেখানে বাংলার ৫.১%। শিল্পতে গ্রোথ ভারতের ৭.৩% ও বাংলার ১০.৫৯%। আইআইপি-তে বাংলার ২০১১-১২ সালে ছিল ২.১৪% যা ২০১৬-১৭ তে বেড়ে হয়েছে ৭.২৭%।

এই অর্থনৈতিক বোঝা নিয়েও আমরা সকল মাপকাঠিতে এগিয়ে চলেছি। কন্যাশ্রী বেটি বাঁচাও বেটি পড়াও প্রকল্পের মত না। বেটি বাঁচাও বেটি পড়াও প্রকল্পে ২৯ টি রাজ্য ও ৭ টি কেন্দ্র শাসিত অঞ্চলের জন্য বরাদ্দ করা হয়েছে ১০০ কোটি টাকা। যেখানে কন্যাশ্রী প্রকল্পে আমরা ব্যয় করেছি ৫০০০ কোটি টাকা। সেই জন্য আমরা রাষ্ট্রসংঘের থেকে পুরস্কৃত হয়েছি। ইন্সটিটউস্যনাল ডেলিভারি বেড়েছে রাজ্যে। স্কুলছুটের হার ও বাল্য বিবাহ কমেছে উল্লেখযোগ্য ভাবে।

পরিকাঠামো উন্নয়নে রাজ্য ৫.৫% এগিয়ে দেশের তুলনায়। কৃষি ও সংলগ্ন ক্ষেত্রে ৩.৫% এগিয়ে, সার্ভিস সেক্টরেও অনেক এগিয়ে। মাথা পিছু আয় গত ৬ বছরে বেড়ে প্রায় দ্বিগুন হয়েছে ৬৯,০০০ টাকা থেকে ১ লক্ষ ৩০ হাজার টাকা।
আমাদের জমি’র ব্যাঙ্ক আছে, জমি’র ম্যাপ আছে। সামাজিক উন্নয়ণের অনেক প্রকল্প আছে। আমাদের উন্নয়নের একটি সঠিক দিশা আছে।

সমাজের পিছিয়ে পড়া ও সংখ্যালঘু মানুষদের জন্য আমাদের কাজ করতে হবে। সমাজের কন্যা সন্তান, আগামী প্রজন্মকে রক্ষা করতে হবে। সমাজের দুর্বল অংশকে শক্তিশালী করতে হবে। মানুষই আমাদের সম্পদ। স্কিল ডেভেলপমেন্টে আমরা পরপর ৪বছর পুরস্কার পেয়েছি। ই-গভেরনেন্সে, ই-টেন্ডারিং, ই-প্রসেসিং,ডিজিটালাইজেসন এও আমরা পুরস্কৃত হয়েছি। কৃষিতে আমরা পর পর পাঁচ বছর পুরস্কার পেয়েছি। কথা কম কাজ বেশী-এটাই আমাদের মন্ত্র।

 

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy speaks on The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, I would like to record my dissent about the way the Bill is being discussed today and possibly in the past too. Everyday in the media, it is said that parliamentarians are not serious, they do not want to discuss Bills, etc. But we want to discuss. This Parliament is essentially made for legislation, and not for functions, ceremonies, etc. With this note, I would like to speak on this Bill.

First of all, the objective of this Bill in one line: It seeks to authorise the Reserve Bank of India to issue directions to any banking company or, companies, to effectively use the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code for the timely resolution of stressed assets. Here, I have a doubt – whether at all there will be time-bound results after imposition of this Financial Bankruptcy Code.

It is true that the NPA has grown alarmingly in recent years. As per the estimates in March 2017, the gross operating profit of the 21 PSU banks taken together stood at Rs 1,50, 240, but the net profit was only Rs 574 crore; whereas the gross NPAs of these PSU banks is Rs 6,05,991 crore. This is highly alarming, there is no doubt about it.

But the question is, whether there would be any impact of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. So far, the results have come up short of being achieved in a time-bound manner and am constrained to say that no, this objective cannot be achieved. Due to the lack of time, I cannot go through the each and every provision of this Bill. But the Bill has essentially created enormous scope for more and more, and unending litigations.

I am giving one example. Recently the Government advised the RBI to initiate proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code against 12 defaulting account holders, and one such defaulting account-holder has got attested from the High Court and all proceedings against the entity have been stayed; for years together this will continue. In this way, each and every big fish has eaten up public money from the banks.

Now, there are 550 large NPA accounts, not 12. Naresh ji told us about 12; it is, maybe, 25 per cent of the total NPA but there are 550, according to the estimates of the RBI, as it appeared in newspapers. Hence, according to me the, amendments will help the big fishes who have eaten our public money rather than help in the recovery of valuable assets of the people of India.

As per RBI guidelines, criminal proceedings can be drawn against wilful defaulters. There are circulars, master circulars of RBI, there are a number of circulars whereby the RBI has directed banks to initiate criminal proceedings. I would request, through you, the Hon. Finance Minister, to inform this House about how many criminal proceedings have/had been initiated against those big fishes so far. This House wants to know, because the Hon. Finance Minister is also on record saying that criminal proceedings will be drawn against those defaulting – those who have committed a fraud, those who have siphoned off money through loans. If at all, how many criminal procedures have been initiated? Why is the Government shying away from naming those people?

The Government has pleaded before the apex court that, please for God’s sake, don’t reveal the identities of those people. Why this double standard? Can the Government place before the House, why has it not initiated any move to amend the archaic RBI Act of 1934 and the archaic Banking Regulation Act of 1949, whereby some draconian provisions have been made, enabling the RBI and the banks from disclosing or parting with any commercial information? The time has come for the Government to make a move to amend those archaic provisions, those draconian provisions of the archaic Acts? This is my demand before this Government, through you.

Now I’m giving you other examples: there are not only 12, but other defaulters that the RBI did not name, that the media has speculated about – 15 to 16 names, including Essar, Bhushan, Lanko, Videocon, Punj Lloyd, Electrosteel Steels, Aban Holdings, ABG Shipyards, Monnet Ispat, and other notorious names. Among them, one has run away, not Mallya, but another gentleman who has run away from this country, and he has taken the citizenship of St Kitts; and with St Kitts, the Indian Government has no extradition treaty, and so it cannot bring him back to this country and produce him before a court. So this is what is happening. This is why I say that this Amendment will do nothing. It will come with a big zero – with zero results, and that is why I oppose this Bill in its entirety.

Thank You, Sir.

 

Saugata Roy speaks during a Calling Attention Motion on the flood situation prevailing in different parts of India

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Madam. I thank the Home Minister for the detailed statement given by him. Although I am a little intrigued why the Home Minister should reply to a debate on floods during the Calling Attention Motion. This year, 24 States have been affected by floods, the most-affected being Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan and Bengal.

One thing that has been pointed out by the CAG is that India’s flood forecast capability is a washout. We have not been able to forecast floods at all. Now I go to the statement in detail. Before that I may mention that in the whole country, the maximum number of people killed is in Gujarat – 229. Bengal is second at 149, Maharashtra, third at 105, and Assam, fourth at 84. About crops washed away, Gujarat is at the top, over an area of 8.91 lakh acres; Rajasthan is second at 8.34 and Bengal is third at 4.23.

I want to bring to the notice of the House that there has been rainfall in all parts of the country but in Bengal it is totally a man-made flood. It has happened in six districts of Bengal due to the release of water from the barrages of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), which is under the Central Government. The State Government has repeatedly appealed to the DVC to desilt its reservoirs in Tilaiya, Maithon and Panchet, but it has done nothing about the matter.

When the heavy rainfall started, Bengal had repeatedly appealed to the DVC to not to release water. The Chief Minister herself spoke to the DVC authorities and requested them not to release all the water at one go; but they still released the water. As a result, six districts of Bengal are badly flooded. And as I told you 129 people have died and 4.23 lakh acres of crops have been washed away. You would be surprised, Madam, that the maximum number of houses destroyed is in Bengal – 1,43,000 – as compared to 26,000 in Assam.

The Prime Minister visited Gujarat, which is all right; it is his home State which is badly affected. He also visited Assam, which is run by the ruling party. It is a good thing. The Ministers of State visited Assam and Arunachal Pradesh but none of the big honchos from the Central Government visited our unfortunate State of Bengal. While the Prime Minister announced a rehabilitation package for Gujarat, Assam and the north-eastern States, no package has been announced for Bengal till date. We feel unfortunate, left out, and we wonder in our minds whether we have been the victims of political discrimination.

My question to the Honourable Minister is direct:

A. Will the Union Government take proper steps for desilting the dams of Damodar Valley Corporation and also control the release of water from dams and barrages which are controlled by the Central Government’s Damodar Valley Corporation?

B. Will the Union Government announce any package for Bengal for relief and rehabilitation, and for recovery and restoration of embankments that are being washed away?

Our Chief Minister met Rajnath Singh ji the other day; she wanted to meet the Prime Minister but that day the Prime Minister was visiting Gujarat. I hope that Bengal will get relief from the Central Government and not feel politically discriminated against.

Thank you, Madam.

 

 

Trinamool’s Derek O’Brien gives farewell to the Hon Chairman of Rajya Sabha

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Mr Chairman Sir, before I share with my colleagues here some of the things they already know, I thought it would be my duty to may be share a few nuggets which many of us in the House do not know about you.

For example, there is somebody who meets you every morning; his name is Akhil Thakur and he is a very important person in your life. He is your yoga teacher, who meets you every morning. Now we know how you are so fit. And as part of your routine you also walk every evening. So that is yoga and walk, so that is why you are still looking 60, when you are close to 70.

My colleagues here would also be surprised if I told them that you have not had lunch for the last 40 years. Because I know from very reliable sources that for the last 40 years all you have eaten for lunch are TWO sandwiches. This must be a world record that is why you are looking so fit.

Did you know that the Hon Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Vice president of India, was a number 5 batsman and a very agile wicketkeeper who got the college cap? More on cricket… When you were the Ambassador to Iran, you introduced cricket to the Indian Embassy in Iran and they say Iran is indebted to you because you started popularising cricket there.

Yes Sir, and some of us here are lovers of dogs and you are a wonderful dog lover because you have seven dogs at home. You must tell us the secret as to how. After this ten year journey, you are moving but actually you and the new Vice President are just walking across the road because you are going to 31 APJ Abdul Kalam Road and he is coming across to your place. So after all this, it’s only a ‘going across the road’ Sir.

Sir, but on a more serious note, Ram Gopal ji mentioned one of your biggest achievements in the Rajya Sabha: no Bill in the din. Sir, I end my term in a few days from now and there are many things that I have learnt from you. What you have done for this House, which I think is very meaningful, we need to place this on record.

Sir, the first is extending the time of the Rajya Sabha. The House would run from 11 AM to 5 PM. Congratulations Sir, for getting us all to work one extra hour everyday and extending the time from 5 PM to 6 PM. Secondly, the Zero Hour never had a time limit. It is you who set the time limit to three minutes and that is why fifteen of us can get a chance to express ourselves – or try and express ourselves – everyday.

Sir, something very important, also which you introduced, is that members can not duck a question. Earlier, if it came up in Question Hour and you were not present then the Supplementary Questions would never be asked. But you came up with the move that even if the member ducks the question, the answer is still laid on the table of the House and someone else can answer the supplementaries. Sir, this is the smartest of all your moves here, because now there is no way to duck the question.

Sir, and of course, the most meaningful of them all, you gave a name to the morning meetings which we have at the back and you called it the ‘Tea Club’. So it gives it a feeling of informality, it gives it a feeling of camaraderie, so we can share everything there (does not matter if we say something there and then come and do the other thing).

Sir, in conclusion, I cannot but end saying very proudly that you and many of my colleagues from my party and myself, we all come from the same city. Sir, I know how deeply you love Kolkata and your roots are in Kolkata. You went to St Xavier’s College run by the Jesuits and you know their motto – I went to the School but I did not get into the College. It is Nihil Ultra – Nothing Beyond. That is absolutely beautiful, Sir.

From the Latin to Urdu. I have also noticed that whenever you have a function – a book release, or a farewell or a welcome – you always have the right Urdu couplet to match the occasion. Sir, you quoted:

“Justuju hain zindagi, zokay talaab hain zindagi,
Zindagi kaa raaz lekin durey manzil mein hai”.

Sir, this is what you said was the motto of what guided you and I had it translated for myself. That is wonderful, Sir.

Sir, two more things to say before I go. One is, we know you will be living in Delhi. Please come back home, come back to Kolkata for holidays or even longer periods of time.

Sir, at moments like these, there is lot of sadness, melancholy and nostalgia. But in all this, Sir, you have never lost your sense of humour. I remember what you told us in one of your tea meetings and I thought self-deprecating humour is a great trait. We asked you, Sir, how was the 10 years from the time you were 70 to 80. You told us, that this is the best ‘pension package’ that anyone could ever get. So, you are a great pensioner and I am using your humour to tell everyone else that you must be an inspiration to all pensioners in this land.

Sir, thank you very much for inspiring so many of us and especially the newer ones like me and so many who have come here.

Thank you.

 

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy speaks during discussion on the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Thank you Sir. Bombay ki Gwalior Tank Maidan mein Congress ka jab aitihasik adhibesan huwa, us mein Nehru Ji resolution move karte huwe unhone bola, and I quote, “We shall fight to the finish”. Aur Gandhi Ji unke valedictory address mein unhone bola, and I quote, “Here is a Mantra, a short one that I give you. You may imprint it on your heart, and let every breath of yours give expression to it. The Mantra is, Do or, Die, karenge ya marenge. British quit India, Angrej Bharat chhoro.”

Congress ko ban kiya gaya. Sare neta aur ek lakh se adhik Congress workers ko sara Hindustan mein pakda gaya. Lekin jaise ki Ram Gopal Ji ne bataya, Jai Prakash Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan, hamare Ram Manohar Lohiya Ji aur Biju Patnayak, Sucheta Kripalini – aise bohot saare neta unhone underground chale gaye.

Leaflets se instruction diya jata tha, yahan tak ki underground se, radio station se bhi instruction diya jata tha Usha Mehta ki netritwa mein, jo ki Bombay se kiya gaya. Aur is tarah sara Hindustan mein andolan fayl gaya.

Main do line padna chahata hoon ek purane leaflet se, jo ki Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee ne us samay issue kiya tha September 20, 1942 ko. Wo bol rahe hain is leaflet mein, “Hindustan ki azadi ki ladai chhir gayi hain. Aaj hum apne ko azaad samajhte hain, Aur British sarkar ko satta ko nehi mante hain. Isliye british sarkar ki kisi bhi kanoon aur hokum ko nehi manna chahiye. Aur us hukumat ke khilaf kya karna chahiye?”

30 bullet point mein unhone bata diya. Main do teen point bolna chahta hoon quote karke yahan se. “Shikshak aur vidyarthi school college chhor do”, “Wakil mokhtar kacheri jana chhor do”, “police paltan wale aur sarkari naukar, sarkari naukri chhor de”, “railway line ukhad diye jaye”, “bade bade pool tod diye jaye”, “taar aur telephone ke taar kat diya jaye” aur “sadak kat diye jaye”. To is tarah sara Hindustan yeh August Kranti Andolan mein uchhal gaye.

Sir, iske baad hum jante hain ki Maharashtra ki Satara mein jo ki Nana Patil, YB Chavan, aur Uttar Pradesh ki Ballya mein Chittu Pandey ki netritwa mein aur Bengal ke Tamluk mein Satish Samanta, Ajoy Mukherjee – in logone nationalist governments form kiya.

Sabse adhik samay teen saal se jyada Satara mein, teen saal chala Bangal mein aur kai mahino chala Ballya mein. Lekin, wahan woh Chittu, unhone jitney Congress karmi ko pakad liya tha sabko reha kar diya. Saare thane, adalat kabza kar liya gaya tha. Yeh yaadgar hai aur yeh yaadgar bane rahegi jab tak Hindustan ka tiranga phaylega Lal Kile par, tab tak yeh yaadgar bane rahegi.

Sir, main bolna chahhta hoon ki isi samaye jab yeh andolan khatam hone wala tha, us samay seema ke us par se Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ki lalkar thi ‘Mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazaadi doonga!’ aur Azad Hind Sena ki woh mahan krantikari log, woh kuch kar diya Dilli ke liye, nara lagaya, ‘Chalo Dilli, kadam, kadam badhaye jaa, tu sher-e Hind aage bar, marne se phir bhi tu na dar, aasman pe uhtha ke sar, josh-e-watan badhaye jaa!” Aur is tarah Hindustan ki azadi ka jo momentum create hua uske baad mein mutiny, naval mutiny ke baad INA trial hua Red Fort mein, yeh saare culminate kiya aur iske wajah se humko azaadi mila.

Yeh saare Hindustan ki janta ki ek aitihasik yogdan tha jis mein das hazar se adhik logon ko goli se uda diya gaya tha; lakhon logon ko jail bhej diya gaya tha aur is tarah Hindustan azad hua. Lekin hamein khed hai ki us samay bhi kuch vishwasghtak the! Mirzafar the, jo yeh andolan mein yogdan nahin kiya! Us samay bhi kuch party the jo 120 panne ka report bhej raha hai us zamane ke Home Secretary Watson ke paas ki main tumhare nirdesh par kaam kar raha hoon aur yeh August Kranti andolan ko barbaad karne ke liye har ek kadam utha raha hai. Bengal mein bhi us samaye jo mantri mandal the, mandal ke deputy chief minister jo ki ek party ka second-in-command thay, unhone Governor ko chitthi likh ke bola, ki yeh yeh humne karyavai kiya hai yeh August Kranti Andolan ko daman karne ke liye!

Aaj bhi humare desh mein aise vishwasghatak hai! Aise Mir Jafar hai, aur isliye humara bhaichara sankat mein pad gaye! Humara ekta sankat mein pad gaye, aur isliye humare netri Mamata Banerjee aaj ki is aitihasik din mein wohi Tamluk pe jaake, Midnapur mein jaake aam sabha sambodhit karengi aur naara uthayengi, BJP Bharat Chhoro (Bengali).

Jis tarah Angrezon ne divide and rule politics apnaya tha, us tarah hi BJP ne bhi divide and rule politics apanaya hai aur humla kar rahe hai humare buniyadi, humare buniyadi, star upar. Toh, aaj is avsar par main sare shahidon ko shraddhanjali deke apna vaktavya khatam karta hoon.

 

 

75 years of Quit India Movement: Trinamool MPs make stirring speeches in both Houses

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Trinamool MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sugata Bose made impressive speeches in both Houses of the Parliament during a special discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement.

In Rajya Sabha

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy began his speech quoting Gandhi Ji’s iconic slogan, “Karenge ya marenge” and Nehru’s clarion call of “We shall fight to the finish” at Congress’s historic session in Bombay on August 8, 1942.

He referred to the contributions of several leaders – Jayprakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Sucheta Kripalani among others – to the movement. He also read out portions from a leaflet issued by the Bihar Pradesh Congress in September, 1942.

He fondly remembered the clarion call of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, “Chalo Dilli”. He said this movement will stay alive in our hearts as long as the tricolour flies high atop the ramparts of Red Fort.

He also referred, with a heavy heart, to the Mir Jafars at that time, who colluded with the British to defeat the August Kranti Andolan. He said such Mir Jafars still exist in the country. He said BJP was following the British policy of ‘Divide and Rule’, against which Mamata Banerjee has launched the ‘BJP Bharat Chhoro’ movement at Tamluk, which saw active participation by people in the Quit India Movement.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF HIS SPEECH

WATCH HIS FULL SPEECH BY CLICKING HERE

 

In Lok Sabha

Sugata Bose, in his eloquent and stirring speech, called August 9 a ‘red letter day’ in Indian history. He reminisced how his own father was severely wounded as he led a procession of students on the streets of Calcutta in September, 1942.

He highlighted the role played by Adivasis and peasants. Netaji had wanted to be in India by August, 1942, he said. “Had the armed thrust of the Azad Hind Fauj coincided with the rebellion of the Quit India Movement, then the history of India might have taken an even more glorious turn,” he remarked.

Sugata Bose lamented that there was a “gap between sankalp and siddhi in 1947”. He said, “We got independent India but not united India.” He said that the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement, and the 70th anniversary of independence, call for “soul-searching introspection, rather than chest-thumping celebration”.

“The final five and a half months of Gandhi Ji’s life constituted a message for the predicament we face in India today. Today we see irreligion masquerading as religion,” Sugata Bose said. He reminded the Government of Gandhi Ji’s message to the then Government in mid-November, 1947: “No Muslim in the Indian Union should feel his life unsafe”.

“The 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement, and the 70th anniversary of freedom may be an apt occasion to ponder the relation between the past and the future, the old and the new,” was his message for the Prime Minister.

Sugata Bose also quoted Swami Vivekananda’s vision for India, one of religious harmony and tolerance. He quoted verses penned by Tagore – passages from the song which later was adopted as the National Anthem – to give a strong message against cow vigilantism and communal violence.

He appealed to the Prime Minister to “stop the engines of coercion on its tracks”. We need to be clear about what our sankalp is for 2022, he remarked and demanded “strong action against those who are spreading the poison of hatred and killing in the name of religion”.

We have to make sure we do not have a dominance of one community and one language, Sugata Bose said, adding: “We must counterpose an alternative and a better vision of a new India based on cultural intimacy of all communities of the country.”
“We must celebrate and respect our differences to rise above them. We must avoid all temptations to be chauvinistic and jingoistic,” was his message for his colleagues in the Lok Sabha.

 

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