As the Opposition demanded a discussion on religious conversions immediately in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said it meant the Opposition was no longer interested in debating MGNREGA already listed for discussion. Congress Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia replied that historically, Mr. Rudy was right. The House should go by the List of Business. But, he said, in the last and this session, the government arbitrarily changed the business whenever it wanted to, including and deleting items at will. Therefore, he said, there cannot be two yardsticks — one for the government and another for the Opposition.
Aadhaar for MPs
It’s the turn of MPs to enrol for Aadhaar cards. Leading them was Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who inaugurated an Aadhaar camp for them in Parliament House and also got herself enrolled. The gathering on the first day of the camp was impressive as several MPs and Ministers availed themselves of this facility. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari (BJP) were seen in the queue. The camp will be functional till December 17.
Mulayam walks down memory lane
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh walked down memory lane in the Lok Sabha in the middle of heated discussions on conversions. Giving caste as one of the reasons many people had converted in the past, he said his own son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, married outside his caste. His daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav, was present in the House. Fortunately for her, he diverted the attention of members to himself by saying: “I too married outside my caste after Akhilesh’s mother passed away.”
The Hindi way to victory
The discussion in the Rajya Sabha on agrarian crisis came to be centred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election promise to set the minimum support price of farm produce in a way that ensures 50 per cent profit for farmers over input cost, with members repeatedly quoting the popular Mohammad Rafi-Lata Mangeshkar duet Jo vada kiya, woh nibhana padega (promises have to be kept). Taking this forward, Rajpal Saini (BSP) had a word of advice for Congress members. He said that during the election campaign, Mr. Modi spoke in Hindi, made promises and won. “If you want to reach where the BJP is today, start speaking in Hindi. During WTO discussions in the House in English on Wednesday, whenever I heard the word ‘farmers’ I put on earphones. Understood little else.”
