Tag: Sugata Bose

Sugata Bose speaks during discussion on Budget (General) 2015-2016 | Transcript

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Full transcript: 

Madam, I hope my good friend Jayant Sinha has told the Hon’ble Finance Minister, how much he was missed last Friday and how eagerly we have been awaiting his return from the UK. We recognise he had gone there for a historic occasion.

We cannot forget and even we are prepared to forgive what Winston Churchill had said about Mahatma Gandhi in 1931. It was a very proud moment for all Indians to see our Finance Minister standing next to the current Conservative Prime Minister of Britain as he paid tribute to the Father of our Nation, the man whom Churchill had described as a fakir and whose simple attire he had mocked, stands tall today in London’s Parliament Square.

Mr Arun Jaitley, who is yet to arrive in the House, has a charming old world quality about him. I am reminded of the 1980s whenever he pronounces on economic matters, which he invariably does with great conviction. I had spent that unfortunate decade in Thatcher’s Britain and Regan’s America. Mr Jaitley still clings to reignite dogma. believing that the tax cuts of the rich will somehow spur economic growth.

The best research in economics in the last three decades exploded that myth. The Finance Minister has issued a promissory note, regarding the lowering of the corporate tax rate from 30% to 25% and abolished the wealth tax.

My esteemed colleague Mr Saugata Roy has already pointed out that it requires no financial wizardry, to figure out his shift from direct taxes to indirect taxes is highly regressive.

I am glad that our Finance Minister has become less dogmatic in one respect namely in his tendency to fetishize the need to reduce the fiscal deficit at a fast pace. His right to have given himself more time, three years rather than two, in his effort to draw down the fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP.

The Prime Minister must have whispered in his ear, I have recently visited Japan and seeing the wonders of Abenomics which is better than Reganomic. Our economy needs the stimulus of greater public spending, particularly in social sectors to quicken the pace of growth rather than any unnecessary tightening of the fiscal belt.

I would urge the Finance Minister not to worry too much about the fiscal deficit, so long as he can bring it down below the 4% mark next year and then steadily move towards his target. Has the Finance Minister truly embraced the States as equal partners in the country’s developments, as he claimed? Despite the rhetoric about cooperative federalism, the record here is decidedly mixed. The marginal increase in the state’s share of revenue resources has come courtesy of the Finance Commission, not through the largess of this Government.

We are glad that the proceeds of the Coal Auctions will benefit the resource-rich yet poverty-stricken Easter states and there are one or two incentives tucked away in the Budget that might help attract fresh investments to the states. Yet the abolition of the Planning Commission does not board well for the future of federalism. The Chief Ministers Conclave under the aegis of the newfangled NITI Ayog can aspire to be no more than a talking shop. The key economic decisions regarding allocations are being centralised under the Finance Ministry.

I do not doubt the sincerity of the Finance Minister’s wish, for his Government to be intellectually honest. Yet, the talks about federalism and acts to centralise, speaks of humility and behaves arrogantly.

Our commitments to farmers run deep, the Finance Minister claimed in his Budget Speech. It runs so deep that the Government has railroaded the Land Acquisition Bill through the Lok Sabha that does away the need to take consent of the farmers while looting their fertile, even multicrop lands to gift away to its corporate friends.

What is Jan Dhan, Madam Speaker? The Government is proud of their Jan Dhan Yojana that has created over 12 Crore bank accounts, mostly zero balance bank accounts. Yet, feels no shame in taking away Jan Dhan, which in India’s villages mostly takes the form of small parcels of land of peasants.

Speaking on the Budget last year, I had said that our future developments has to be built on three pillars: Infrastructure, Education and Health. I commend the Finance Minister once more for committing public funds to infrastructure projects even though the funds may clogged up if the infrastructure projects are not implemented fast.

I must express my deep disappointment again at the utter neglect of education, especially school education and public health. Spending on flagship projects on education like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has suffered severe cuts. The ritual of announcing a few new IITs, IIMs and AIIMS – like institutions will do little to achieve excellence in the field of higher education.

In the spirit of cooperative federalism, I urge the Finance Minister to support the most promising state universities.

And the fun fare over the Swachch Bharat Aviyan is masking the Government’s unwillingness to admit the public health crisis looming across the country. It should be done on a war footing.

To conclude, Madam Speaker, a Finance Minister’s Budget Speech brought cheer to a handful of billionaires in our country. Having listened to the Opposition, I hope his reply today will offer something that might warm the hearts of a billion ordinary Indians. The amirs can take care of themselves, please look after the interest of the fakirs of India.

Thank you.

Subhas Utsav – Celebrating Netaji’s Birth Anniversary

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West Bengal Government is celebrating ‘Subhas Utasav’ on 22-23 January, 2015 to commemorate the 118th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The festival is being organised by the Department of Youth Affairs, Govt of West Bengal.

WB CM Ms Mamata Banerjee  participated in the celebrations along with other dignitaries at Darjeeling Mall on 23rd January at 12 noon. Celebrations in the past took place in Kolkata but on the initiative of our present Chief Minister, the official celebration of Netaji’s birth anniversary was held in Darjeeling last year.

This Utsav will comprise many programmes and competitions including processions, exhibitions on the life and work of Subhas Chandra, quizzes on him, debates, sit & draw competition, essay writing and other events.

Incidentally, the grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sugata Bose is a Trinamool MP representing Jadavpur constituency in the Lok Sabha.

Highlights of the Chief Minister’s speech at Darjeeling Mall:

  • Netaji is one of the most inspirational persons in Indian history.
  • There can never be a substitute for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
  • Netaji gave the slogan Jai Hind. He formed the Indian National Army.
  • Netaji said renunciation and realisation are two sides of the coin.
  • “Kadam kadam badaye jaa” is still a popular song.
  • The final days of Netaji is still a mystery. What happened to him, no one knows. History is incomplete.
  • History of India is incomplete. Netaji has not got the honour he deserved from the powers that be.
  • Netaji gave the slogan of Dilli Chalo. People loved and adored Netaji.
  • We have set up Jai Hind Bahini to serve people.
  • Earlier the official celebration of Netaji’s birthday happened in #Kolkata. Now we hold it in the Hills.
  • Earlier no one used to come to Darjeeling. I came to the Hills more than 40 times in 3 years.
  • I love my brothers and sisters of the Hills. I do not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, race or religion.
  • If tourism prospers, Darjeeling will prosper. People will get jobs. Finances will improve.
  • We love the soil of Bengal, the soil of India. Saare jahaan se acha, Hindustan humara.
  • I pay my tributes to all those who risk their lives for the security of the country.
  • I pay my tributes to all the martyrs who laid down their lives for India.
  • I am ready to sacrifice my life for preserving the unity of this country.
  • Let us salute the great son of the soil Netaji on his birth anniversary. Jai Hind.

 

(Updated on 23 January, 2015 at 1:00 PM)

Sugata Bose speaks on the violence in Gaza | Transcript

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Madam Speaker, the war in Gaza is an ongoing crisis, and that is why it has taken a further tragic turn, namely, a school was attacked and women and children who were sleeping there were killed. The United Nations has termed this attack by Israel as a clear violation of international law. We cannot afford to sit on the fence when there is disproportionate and excessive use of force.

Therefore, I would urge the Government to take a clear stand on the side of morality and law. Thank you very much.

Prof. Sugata Bose speaks on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address | Transcript

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Mr. Chairman, Sir, carrying a little flame of India in my heart I have come to India from abroad to be of little service to my motherland at a critical turning point in our history… (Interruptions).

I greet you all in the name of our leader, Kumari Mamata Banerjee and 34 Lok Sabha Members of the All India Trinamool Congress of whom 11 are outstanding women from different walks of life.

I am honoured to be able to deliver my maiden speech in this august House as part of the debate on the President’s Address. It is a time honoured convention for a maiden speech not to be interrupted and I would appeal to my fellow Members to listen quietly while I speak.

We are most grateful to our Rashtrapatiji for coming down from Raisina Hills to address us in the Central Hall of Parliament. We only wish the new Government had utilised this ceremonial occasion better to give us and the country a clear enunciation of policies instead of a recitation of pious wishes. We share with the Government a commitment to build a strong India that will command the highest respect around the world.We commend the hon. Prime Minister for his initiative in inviting the leaders of SAARC countries to his Swearing-in ceremony. We need a generous and an imaginative foreign policy towards our neighbours so that regional problems do not impede our legitimate ambition to play a major role on the global stage. One of the biggest challenges of the 21st century will be for India and China to peacefully manage their simultaneous rise. But I was sorry to see my good friend Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy being too starry-eyed in his admiration of China. China is, after all, a one party dictatorship and an authoritarian State. Our developmental path should be better based on our own democracy. We agree with the Government that Japan can be our valuable partner in building world class infrastructure across Asia. As a historian I am glad that the Government recognises our soft power potential. When Rabindranath Tagore set out on his voyage to South-East Asia he had followed the civilizational trail of India’s entry into the universe. Tagorean universalism can serve us well in this contemporary phase of global interconnections. Since, Sushmaji, our hon. Minister of External Affairs is present in the House, I would like to say that we will extend our hand of cooperation in her conduct of foreign policy.

Mr. Chairman, Sir, it is true that the federal spirit animating our polity in the past has been sadly diluted in recent years. The great swadeshi leader Bipin Chandra Pal had pointed out in his book, The Soul of India, the legendary king Bharata – after whom our country Bharatbarsha is named – had been described in the ancient texts as Rajchakravarti. He took pains to explain that the term did not mean emperor but simply a king at the centre of a circle of kings. That was the model for great princes and king of kings in ancient times. He also pointed out that in the age of Muslim sovereigns Indian polity always of a federal type became even more pronouncedly so. The age of Monarchy has passed, in this era of democracy the Central Government must learn to behave like a Government at the centre of a circle of State governments. We welcome the Centre’s promise of cooperative federalism. When the Central Government siphons off the bulk of a State’s revenues in the form of debt interest, surely, it violates the federal spirit. I call upon the Central Government in its reply to this debate to spell out what policies it will adopt to provide relief to debt-trapped States that are suffering because of the irresponsible profligacy of previous regimes. For no fault of their own these States, including mine, cannot pursue their developmental agenda towards poverty elimination, a concept which was first enunciated by a great Gujrati leader Dadabhai Naoroji in the 19th century.

I must also strenuously object to the patronising claim made by this Government that it will bring the “Eastern region of the country on par with the Western region in terms of physical and social infrastructure”. I quote from the President’s speech. Here I differ slightly from my friend Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab because I want Odisha to prosper. I consider myself as half Oriya because my grandfather was born in Cuttack. But the fact is that the Western and the Northern regions lag behind the Eastern and the Southern regions in terms of every conceivable index of human development and social infrastructure, specially education and health. The gender imbalance, that is the ratio of women to men, is far worse in the North and West of our country than in the East and the South. The Western region has much to learn from the Eastern region in this sphere of innovative projects and programmes …For example, the visionary Kannyasree scheme of West Bengal’s Chief Minister Kumari Mamata Banerjee presages the Central Government’s Beti Bachao, Beti Badhao campaign. Her highly successful Jal Dharo, Jal Bharo programme for water security holds lessons for the proposed Pradhanmantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana… The Central Government would be well advised to follow West Bengal’s lead in becoming an enabler for modern Madrasa education with a minimum of State interference. There has been a new sunrise in the East that can light up the path to India’s future.

Of greatest concern to us on the federal question is what the Government has had to say on the issue of infiltration and illegal immigrants. This is a highly sensitive matter bearing on relations with our neighbours on which the States must be fully consulted and taken into confidence. We must never allow, West Bengal will never permit, the language of citizenship to be used as a façade for antiminority prejudice. We also want to know the mechanisms through which States can contribute to the formulation of the proposed National Education Policy. I agree with Dr. Thambi Durai who is in the Chair today and who spoke from here yesterday that the States must play a pre-eminent role in the field of education.

The huge disparity in funding for State and Central Universities and educational institutions must be bridged in the interests of our youth and youth development. It will not suffice to simply build IITs and IIMs in various States. We have to build world class universities on the solid foundation of primary and secondary school education.

Mr. Chairman Sir, permit me to say a heartfelt word or two about the Government’s plan to clean the River Ganga, a noble and worthy project. We hail from the great delta where the mighty tributaries of the Ganga flow into the sea.

We have grown up singing Dwijendralal Roy’s song, Patitodharini Gange, Ogo Ma, Patitodharini Gange. Even the worst sinner, it is said, can find redemption with a dip in its holy waters. The river is our mother in Bengal as much as it is for the residents of Benares. You will be happy to know that our poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam did not write just about the Ganga. He sang: Ganga Sindhu Narmada Kaberi Jamuna oi, bohia cholechche ager mato, koi se ager manush koi. The Ganga and the other great rivers flow on as before: where are the human beings of yesteryears? That poetic lament laced with nostalgia is probably more poignant now than it was in Nazrul Islam’s time. But it is the lines sung in the immortal voice of Bhupen Hazarika that is haunting me today: Bistirna duparer asankhya manusher hahakar shuneo, nishabde nirabe o Ganga tumi, Ganga boichcho keno?

The term ‘hahakar’ was used by Sushma Ji. If we cannot hear the hahakar, the cries of despair of the Dalit women subjected to brutal violence in the Gangetic plains, we cannot claim to be true representatives of the people of India. And far away from the Gangetic plains, we mourn the death of Mohsin Sheikh, the young computer engineer in Pune. He belonged to the so-called aspirational class whose dreams for the future had been fired by the election campaign of the ruling party. He did not live to see the achche din, the good times, which this Government promises to usher in. His only fault was that he wore his identity in his headgear and attire as he returned home after praying to the Almighty. Hockey sticks that had once done our nation proud in the world of sports were used as weapons to bludgeon the expression of diversity.

The composition of the 16th Lok Sabha does not reflect the rich diversity of India as well as it should. That is why, it is our special duty and responsibility to give voice to the needs and aspirations of underrepresented minorities. If you truly want to be the harbinger of good times, I would say to the Government, do not confuse uniformity with unity, majoritarianism with democracy. In his famous essay Bharatvarsha, Rabindranth had alerted us: “Where there is genuine difference, it is only by respecting that difference and restraining it in its proper place, that it is possible to achieve unity. Unity cannot be achieved by issuing legal fiats that everybody is one.” Only by nurturing a healthy reverence for cultural difference can we invite everyone to unite at the feet of the Mother: “Eso he Hindu, eso Musalman, eso he Parasi, Bouddha, Christian, milo ho Mayer charane.”I will just leave you with an image when the Bengal revolutionary leader, Shri Subhash Chandra Bose, went to Gujarat at Haripura to preside over the Indian National Congress. … He and Mahatma Gandhi together fused the vision of a modern industrial future with the idyll of agrarian India. Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel were also there. … (Interruptions) Let us follow their lead and say to the Mother that we will work that she may prosper and suffer that she may rejoice.

Mr. Chairman, I am done.

 

Thank you very much.