Tag: All India Trinamool Congress

Dola Sen’s Zero Hour mention on the need for electoral reforms and state funding of elections

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Thank you Honourable Deputy Chairman for this opportunity to raise an issue today, which has been part of my party’s DNA, its very existence, since it was established on 1st January, 1998. In the last 18 years, the first section of every manifesto, which the Trinamool has introduced for every election, has been dedicated to electoral reforms.

We believe that the solution to electoral reforms is state funding. State funding of elections have been done in various countries. Whatever model can be used, we need to sit down, get a consensus among all political parties and take steps towards this in a time bound manner.

This Government is only doing decorative gimmicks. It has capped donations to political parties from Rs 20000 to Rs 2000. This is not a solution. The Finance Minister has introduced electoral bonds. How is this a solution? Electoral bonds cannot be the solution. Corporate A or Individual A will buy certain bonds and that shall be passed on to the political parties.

The biggest problem here is that in this age where privacy laws in India are so poor, there is scope for leaks. In October 2016, 21 lakh debit and credit cards’ information was leaked. How will the identity of donors who fund elections and political parties be anonymous? This is not at all a solution.

My party, Trinamool Congress is now a national party. We really believe in finding long-term solutions for this. We need to

 

  1. Do electoral state funding through election commission
  2. Come up with a transparent system
  3. Bring about a consensus on this
  4. Do not rush through anything right now

 

The style of the government – everything they do is short term. I hope for this, they will take a long-term view.

 

 

Restrictions & sufferings not over even after three months of demonetisation: Mamata Banerjee

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Three months are over since demonetisation was announced by the Prime Minister on November 8, 2016. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today took to Twitter to say that restrictions and sufferings of people due to demonetisation is still not over.

“Citizens have lost economic freedom. When economic freedom is lost, main freedom is lost,” she said. The CM added, “Only few rich capitalists are not suffering. Commoners, middle class, downtrodden, poorest of the poor continue to suffer.”

“The economy has slowed down tremendously. The nation is facing acute economic crisis. How much longer?” she asked.

Calling “Demonetisation-Remonetisation” as “visionless, missionless, directionless” Mamata Banerjee said the step has derailed the nation.

 

নোট বাতিলের তিন মাস পরেও মানুষের দুর্ভোগ শেষ হয়নিঃ মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়

গত ৮ নভেম্বর, ২০১৬ নরেন্দ্র মোদি নোট বাতিলের সিদ্ধান্ত ঘোষণা করেছিলেন। আজ তার তিন মাস পূর্ণ হল। আজ আরও একবার এই ইস্যুতে ক্ষোভ প্রকাশ করে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় বলেন, “নোট বাতিলের তিন মাস সম্পূর্ণ, তবু সাধারণ মানুষের দুর্ভোগ, ভোগান্তি এখনও শেষ হয়নি”।

“মানুষ আর্থিক স্বাধীনতা হারিয়েছে। আর্থিক স্বাধীনতা হারিয়ে গেলে মূল স্বাধীনতাও খর্ব হয়”। তিনি আরও বলেন, “শুধুমাত্র কিছু ব্যবসায়ীরাই এতে লাভবান হচ্ছেন ৷ গরিব-মধ্যবিত্ত-অতি গরিবরা এখনও নোট সমস্যায় ভুগছেন ৷”

তিনি আরও বলেন, “অর্থনৈতিক কাঠামো ভেঙে পড়ছে, দেশ প্রবল আর্থিক সংকটের মুখে। আর কতদিন এই যন্ত্রণা ভোগ করতে হবে?”

তাঁর কথায়, “ডিমনিটাইজেশন-রিমনিটাইজেশনের এই পরিকল্পনাহীন / গতিহীন , উদ্দেশ্যহীন, দিশাহীন পদক্ষেপে দেশকে চরম দুর্ভোগের সম্মুখীন হতে হয়েছে”।

 

Ordinance on demonetisation was uncalled for: Trinamool in Lok Sabha

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Speaking on the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Bill, 2017 in Lok Sabha, Trinamool MP called the Ordinance (which this Bill will replace) as “unnecessary and uncalled for”.

Quoting the RBI Act, Section 26(1) and (2), Saugata Roy questioned the Centre under what provision of law can the government restrict people from accessing their bank accounts. He said it was in violation of Article 300(A) of the Constitution.

He said that the Prime Minister’s reply during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address did not have any adequate answer on what was the rationale behind demonetisation. He accused the government of changing goal posts from black money to ‘Digital India’.

“In a country where there are 5.1 lakh villages, you have got only 1.36 lakh bank branches. We have got 2.18 lakh ATMs. 40 percent of whom do not work and 40 percent of whom do not have cash. You are subjecting the poor people to this. I mentioned yesterday by taking away cash from the economy you have breaking the backbone of the society,” Saugata Roy said.

He added: “Counterfeit notes are only 0.03% of total circulation. To get Rs 400 crore out of system, they cancelled Rs 15.44 lakh crore. Total amount of black money in cash is only 6%. People convert it into gold, real estate or keep it abroad. The government has failed to bring back black money from abroad.”

He asked the government if lengthy speeches in Parliament will bring back the lives of the 150 people who died due to demonetisation. He said that people of India will reply to this heartless and reckless step.

 

 

Tapas Mandal speaks on The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2017

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, Iss Bill ke virodh mein nahin hain hum, lekin kuch kuch iss Bill mein hain jiske bare mein hum question kar sakte hain. Kyunki jo Bill hain, jo pehle Ordinance tha, and that was the 26th ordinance made by the Government since inception – inn logon ka aur iss Government ka loktantra par kitna vishwas hain isi se hi pata chalta hain.

Minimum wages ke bare mein kuch iss Bill pa nahin hain. Saare desh main unorganised sector mein bahut log kaam kar rahe hain, jin logon ko bahut kam tankhwa milte hain. Yeh minimm wages ko badana chahiye – iska pravdhan iss Bill pe nahin hain. Iss Bill pe yeh nahin kaha gaya ki hamara Paschim Bangal mein bahut saare tea workers hain, jute workers hain, jin logon ko tankhwa nahin mil rahe hain.

Mamata Bandyopadhyay ne bahut bar keh chuke hain, hamare mananiye sansadon ne baar baar yeh mudda uthaya hain iss Sansad mein. Lekin Government ka dhyan iss par nahin hain.

Iss mauke pe main phir appeal karta hoon, hamare tea workers ke liye, jute workers ke liye aap rupiya bheje jis se un log zindagi achhe se jee sakey. Yeh jo kanoon tha 1936 ka – 80 saal purana ek kanoon – jis mein rupiya milne ka ek hi tarika tha, jab paid through coins or cash. Abhi iss mein kya mila? In addition to the existing payment modes, unka account mein rupiya jayega aur cheque mein jayega. Toh kiya iss mein jo exploitation ho raha hain, kam ho jayeja? Yeh mera sawal hain. If you want to continue and maintain transparency in transaction modes, at least make it digital, and not retain payment through cash or coins. Yeh nahin hona chahiye. Yeh hamara kehna hain.

Hamare iss Bill pe jo kuch hain hum sweekar karte hain, lekin jo nahin hain iske bare mein thoda sa vichar kare, kyun ki jo companiyan hain, industry hain, woh log exploit karte rehte hain. Uske bare mein kya action lena hoga, kya mudda uthana hain iske bare mein koi provision nahin hain. Iske bare mein the Government should think about, and they should take some stringent actions against those who are violating the laws. Iss ke liye hum kehte hain ki to take actions to set up an institute that will monitor the transparency in mode of payment, and if there is any discrepancy they can sort it out, and take actions according to the law. Yeh hamare kehna hain.

Yeh jo Bill hain hum swagat karte hain lekin hamare desh mein itne saare workers hain, itse saare sramik hain organised aur unorganised sector mein, un logon par dhyan digiye. Hamare tankha bahut hain, hamare salary bahut hain lekin jo aam aadmi hain, jo garib hain, jinke liye Mananiye Pradhan Mantri ne sawal uthate hain, unka koi nahin hain. Un par dhyan digiye,, unka tankha badhaiye, aur unko jo minimum wages de rahe hain usko bhi badhaiye – aap ka bhala hoga, hamare liye achha rahega, desh ka bhala hoga. Isi shabdo ke saath mein aap ko dhanyavad deta hoon. Dhanyavad.

 

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy questions the government on demonetisation in Rajya Sabha

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Sir, as per the provisions of Section 26 of Section 2 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Government, on the recommendation of the central bank, may declare that any currency of any denomination of any series would not be legal tender.

In the light of this provision, my question is, whether the horse was before the cart, that is to say, whether the RBI sent the recommendation on its own, or the RBI was directed by the Government to send the recommendation?

 

Kalyan Banerjee speaks on the issue of threat to Trinamool leaders by BJP functionaries

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Madam, yesterday in a public meeting the BJP leaders, including the observer of BJP in West Bengal, had said all leaders of Trinamool Congress will be arrested by CBI and will land up in Bhubaneshwar jail. He also said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be arrested. How can BJP and Narendra Modi misuse the CBI for political vendetta? We are protesting strongly. We protest against the misuse of CBI for political vendetta. Jo humse takrayega, chur chur ho jayega.

 

 

 

 

 

Ratna De Nag speaks in LS during Question Hour on improvement of cold storages

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

Madam, wastage of fruits and vegetables are reported. There is a need to ensure more investment in improving the cold storage chains and preservation of infrastructure across the country to stop loss of food and vegetables.

Madam would the Minister state the benefits acquired in the last two years or since the implementation of the central sector scheme for cold chain and value addition infrastructure which was aimed at stopping loss of fruits and vegetables.

Thank you, Madam.

Parliament: Trinamool raises the issue of threats by BJP functionaries in Bengal

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Trinamool Congress today raised the issue of threats to Trinamool leaders by BJP functionaries in Bengal.

In Lok Sabha, Chief Whip of the party, Kalyan Banerjee raised the issue during Zero Hour. He said: “How can BJP and Narendra Modi misuse the CBI for political vendetta? We are protesting strongly.”

Leader of AITC Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien informed the House that  Trinamool leaders are being threatened by BJP leaders in Bengal.

“In a democracy this is not done. There are open threats by BJP functionaries in Bengal. In a democracy, agencies are controlled by the government not by a party”, he said.

He lodged his protest in strongest terms and the party MPs staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha.

 

বিজেপি নেতাদের দেওয়া হুমকি নিয়ে সংসদে প্রতিবাদ তৃণমূলের

গতকাল কলকাতার এক জনসভায় যেভাবে বিজেপির কিছু নেতা তৃণমূলকে হুমকি দিয়েছে তার প্রতিবাদে আজ দলের সাংসদরা সরব হন সংসদে।

লোকসভায় তৃণমূলের মুখ্যসচেতক কল্যাণ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় জিরো আওয়ারে বলেন, “বিজেপি এবং নরেন্দ্র মোদী সিবিআইকে তাদের রাজনৈতিক প্রতিহিংসার জন্য অপব্যাবহার করছে। আমরা এর তীব্র প্রতিবাদ করছি।”

রাজ্যসভায় তৃণমূলের পরিষদীয় দলনেতা ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন বলেন, “বাংলায় বিজেপি নেতারা তৃণমূল নেতাদের হুমকি দিচ্ছে। গণতন্ত্রে এহেন আচরণ কাম্য নয়। যেকোনো গণতন্ত্রে কেন্দ্রীয় সংস্থাকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করে সরকার, কোনও দল নয়।”

তিনি এর তীব্র প্রতিবাদ করেন এবং তৃণমূলের সাংসদরা রাজ্যসভা থেকে ওয়াকআউট করেন।

 

Trinamool MPs stage dharna on the need for electoral reforms and state funding of elections

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Trinamool Congress MPs from both the Houses of the Parliament staged a dharna today in front of Gandhi ji’s statue in the Parliament complex on the need for electoral reform and State funding of elections.

Electoral reforms has been part of Trinamool’s DNA, its very existence, since the party was established on 1st January, 1998. In the last 18 years, the first section of every manifesto, which the Trinamool has introduced for every election, has been dedicated to electoral reforms.

Trinamool Chairperson Mamata Banerjee had earlier criticised the Centre’s move to introduce electoral bonds; she had said that a decision on political funding should have be taken after obtaining opinions of all political parties.

“There should have been discussion with all political parties on the issue of political funding, electoral bonds. They should have taken opinion of all political outfits. We have long been demanding electoral reforms and state funding of elections,” she had commented.

 

নির্বাচনী সংস্কারের দাবীতে সংসদ চত্বরে ধর্ণা তৃণমূল সাংসদদের

নির্বাচনী সংস্কার ও ‘স্টেট ফান্ডেড’ নির্বাচনের দাবীতে আজ তৃণমূল সাংসদরা সংসদ চত্বরে গান্ধী মূর্তির সামনে ধর্ণা দেন।

১লা জানুয়ারি ১৯৯৮ সালে দল গঠন হওয়ার সময় থেকেই নির্বাচনী সংস্কারের কথা বলে আসছে তৃণমূল। বিগত ১৮ বছর ধরে তৃণমূলের সকল নির্বাচনী ইস্তেহারের প্রথম ভাগ নির্বাচনী সংস্কারের জন্যই নির্ধারিত থাকে।

গত সপ্তাহে তৃণমূলনেত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের ‘ইলেক্টোরাল বন্ডের’ সমালোচনা করে বলেন, “স্টেট ফান্ডেড ইলেকশন’ ও নির্বাচনী বন্ডের বিষয়ে কেন্দ্রের সব দলের সঙ্গে আলোচনা করা উচিত। আমরা দীর্ঘদিন ধরে নির্বাচনী সংস্কার ও সরকারি তহবিলে নির্বাচন লড়ার দাবী জানিয়ে এসেছি।”

 

Country facing financial emergency due to demonetisation: Kalyan Banerjee in LS

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Chief Whip of Trinamool Congress in Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee today cornered the government on the issue of demonetisation. During a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address, he said the country is facing financial emergency due to demonetisation.

Kalyan Banerjee said that restrictions on withdrawing money violate Article 300 (A) of Constitution of India. Maintaining that Trinamool is not against curbing black money, Kalyan Banerjee demanded to know how much black money has been recovered after demonetisation and how much was brought back from abroad.

“Unemployment increased to 7% in the week following demonetisation and 25 crore daily wage workers lost their employment. 150 people have lost their lives. Cooperative banks were not allowed to exchange demonetised notes. The poorest of the poor take loans from cooperative banks not nationalised banks. Farmers do not have money to buy seeds and fertilizers. They are unable to sell their products. There has been 8% reduction in sales of two wheelers, 18.66% reduction in sales of four-wheelers,” he said.

On the issue of women empowerment, Kalyan Banerjee said that while the Centre allocated only Rs 200 crore for the entire country under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme, Bengal government, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, allocated Rs 1000 crore for Kanyashree. He also urged the government to bring the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Kalyan Banerjee slammed the govt on the issue of federalism. He asked under what provisions of law was the Centre bypassing the States. He accused the present Prime Minister of India of acting as an autocrat and taking away powers of the States. He also wanted to know how much money is being spent by the government for publicity.

Calling ‘Digital India’ only a slogan, Kalyan Banerjee said most areas do not have proper mobile networks. He said the minister must prepare the infrastructure before coining slogans. He reminded the government that only slogan-baazi will not solve problems.

The MP also said that year after year tall promises are made in the President’s speech but they are not met.