BJP’s arrogance among reasons to leave NDA, LJP must also quit: Upendra Kushwaha

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December 19, 2018

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday asserted that arrogance of BJP and Nitish Kumar were one of the reasons behind leaving the NDA and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) should also follow suit.

In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Kushwaha said, “People of NDA have become arrogant, particularly in the context of Bihar such as Nitish Kumar, who is also being supported by the key leadership of BJP. Their conceit was somewhere a big reason behind us getting away from them. Others would also not be safe from this arrogance for long. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) must also come out of alliance as soon as possible. These people have decided to destroy small parties and if LJP has also started to feel the same, they must exit the alliance at the earliest.”

He also launched a scathing attack on Bihar government and asserted that it has completely failed to fulfill the expectations of people.

“Janta Dal (United) and BJP have governed Bihar for about 13-14 years now. There were a lot of expectations from Nitish Kumar and this government. Education would improve, healthcare facilities for poor will get better, youth migration will stop but nothing as such happened.”

“If they could not do it in all these years when their third term is about to end, people would naturally desire a change. In this time whosoever will be with Nitish Kumar would also face worse. It is good that if BJP is with them, they will also go down with them and both Bihar and the country would get a good government”, he added.

Kushwaha also outlined that no decision on whether his party will join the grand alliance or would fight independently.

He, however, confirmed that for his party the grand alliance and the third front are options.

Kushwaha, who had pulled out of the NDA on December 10 and had also resigned as the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, cornered the Central government as well and emphasised that people are looking for a change now.

“Countdown for the Central government has begun. People had a great expectation from it but it disappointed people of the country. Farmers are in distress, the youth did not get employment. So naturally, there will be change now”, said Kushwaha.

While replying to a question, Kushwaha also remarked that Rahul Gandhi has developed his ‘personality’ and people are looking towards him as an option for replacing Narendra Modi.

Kushwaha also criticised BJP on the Ram Mandir issue and said that BJP is not interested in constructing it but is only misleading people for votes.

RBI not giving money: Minister on ‘delay’ in Rs 15 lakh in every account

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale claimed that the Rs 15 lakh which was promised by the central government will reach people slowly, and not at once.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Athawale said, “15 lakh rupees (promised by the central government in every bank account) will come slowly, not at a single time. Asked for money from the Reserve Bank of India but they are not giving. So the amount cannot be collected. There are some technical issues.”

On December 13, Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Ranjeet Ranjan had given an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha over the RBI issue and demonetisation.

During the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed to bring back black money which was illegally sent to banks in foreign countries within 100 days of coming to power.

Moreover, Prime Minister Modi had stated that every poor person in the country will get Rs 15 lakhs in their account after all the black money is brought back.

Trump panel recommends guns in schools to keep US students safe

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

A safety panel set up by US President Donald Trump in the wake of numerous school shootings recommended that schools consider arming staff, using veterans as guards and reversing Obama-era guidelines.

The Federal Commission on School Safety panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was set up after the February massacre in Parkland, Florida, when a former student shot dead 17 people, sparking mass gun control protests.

The commission rejected calls to increase the minimum age required for gun purchases, arguing in its 180-page report that most school shooters obtain their weapons from family members or friends.

Instead, it suggested arming staff — even teachers in some circumstances — “for the sake of effectively and immediately responding to violence.” School districts where police responses could be slower, such as rural districts, may benefit in particular, the commission said.

It also recommended education authorities hiring military veterans and former police officers who “can also serve as highly effective educators.” The report pushes for a review of disciplinary guidelines introduced in 2014 under former president Barack Obama, which suggested alternatives to suspension and expulsion to tackle discrimination against black and Latino students.

The commission’s report said the measure has had “a strong negative impact on school discipline and safety.” The American Civil Liberties Union condemned that proposition.

“The Trump administration is exploiting tragedies to justify rolling back school children’s civil rights protections, despite the lack of any evidence linking school discipline reform to school shootings,” it said in a statement.

Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi, who will be US House speaker when her party take over the chamber in January, criticized the report saying Trump and DeVos “have reached a new low.” “Their ‘report’ on school safety puts special interests and the NRA ahead of protecting America’s school children. Students & parents have had #Enough,” Pelosi wrote on Twitter.

She drew a backlash from Ryan Petty, a gun enthusiast and school safety advocate whose 14 year old daughter was killed in the Parkland massacre.

“Hi @NancyPelosi, it’s easy to be a critic. Harder to create. Would you sit down with Parkland families to discuss the report?” Petty wrote on Twitter.

“We worked hard to ensure this report addresses top school safety priorities. It’s painful for us when you dismiss it without basis in fact,” he added.

Over 219,000 US students have been involved in a school shooting since the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre, according to figures collated by the Washington Post.

Day after return from Pak, Hamid Nihal Ansari meets Sushma Swaraj

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

Hamid Nihal Ansari, the software engineer who has returned home after spending six years in a Pakistani jail, met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday and narrated his ordeal.

Officials said 33-year-old Ansari, who came back to India on Tuesday, became emotional while talking about the difficult phase of his life in Pakistan.

Ansari, who was accompanied by his mother and other family members, also thanked Swaraj and the Ministry of External Affairs for persisting with the case and taking it up with Islamabad.

The Mumbai resident, who returned to India after crossing the Wagah-Attari border, was imprisoned in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court on December 15, 2015.

According to official sources, India issued 96 notes verbales to Pakistan seeking consular access to Ansari. The decision to release him was on account of relentless pressure from New Delhi, they said.

Shortly before his arrival on Tuesday, Ansari’s mother Fauzia Ansari told reporters that the prayers of the family and of all those who wished for his safe return had been answered.

“I am immensely happy today. I don’t have words to describe my feelings,” she said.

His father, Nihal Ansari, said, “It is a new dawn for us”.

Ansari was arrested in 2012 for illegally entering Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

His jail term ended on December 15 but he was not able to leave for India as his legal documents were not ready.

On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court gave the Pakistan government a month’s deadline to complete his repatriation process.

In reply to a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother Fauzia Ansari, the high court was informed that he was in custody of the Pakistan Army and was being tried by a military court.

Letters to the Editor: December 19, 2018

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Afternoon Voice

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December 19, 2018

What about service sector?

It refers to media reports about lowering GST on many more items so that 99 per cent items will be under 18 per cent or lower GST slab as yet another unneeded financial gimmick. It is not proper to reduce GST slab on items of long-term use like air-conditioners, refrigerators etc. because it is a one-time payment. Lower GST slabs are beneficial on items of day-to-day use.

But the government has never thought of lowering GST slab on invisible service sector where it needs urgent lowering from existing 18 per cent slab to 12 per cent. Such a high rate of GST slab hurts badly those honest taxpayers where professional service providers have to pay from their pocket a heavy dose of 18 per cent GST when those having availed service do not pay GST. For example, even government departments and TV channels do not pay GST on delivering lectures or participating in TV debates. While on the other hand, those availing service in unorganised private sector pays professionals in cash to avoid GST thus, resulting in heavy revenue loss through the lower declaration of incomes in Income Tax returns.

Central and state governments should direct all their departments to add GST on payments to professionals who are registered under GST. Similar direction should be given to organised sector like TV channels to compulsorily add GST on payments made to participants in TV debates if participants are registered under GST.

Best is to have two GST slabs of 10 and 30 per cent abolishing all other slabs including lower ones of 0, 3 or 5 with most items and service covered under 10 per cent slab while items of long-term use and luxurious goods may be under 30 per cent slab. For extra luxury items presently attracting cess, additional slabs in multiples of 50 or 100 can be introduced. Tax evasion can then be tackled by retaining Input-Tax-Credit ITC system only on trading, abolishing from manufacturing and service sector. Presently, ITC has become a tool for big tax evasion where manufacturers are purchasing unused GST invoices at a premium to avail false ITC. The system will be of ultimate advantage to everyone concerned including commoners even if they have to pay 10 per cent GST on items presently under lower slabs of 0, 3 or 5 per cent.

– Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Credit Cards

The Union government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should take note of malpractices of Banks in respect of credit cards. Arguments put by Banks to have an extraordinary interest rate to overcome heavy cost in credit card operation is in itself confessional for giving banks permission to levy ‘hidden charges’ to befool customers. Banks can instead levy charges on issuing and transactions made through credit cards.

Even credit card statements are designed in a manner like ‘Minimum Amount Due’ to befool customers that they put themselves in a heavy dose of interest rate. Banks also resort to malpractice by deliberately not sending credit cards statements to make customers defaulters forcing them to pay heavy interest dose apart from the penalty. Any shortfall in payment attracts penalty and interest on complete dues. The penalty imposed for over limit use of credit cards should not be permissible. Instead, banks can refuse payment on crossing limit. It is ridiculous that an overpayment of just Rs 100 may attract a heavy penalty of Rs 500 plus GST.

The Union government and the RBI should make necessary amendments whereby there may be uniform rules in respect of credit cards including interest rate and penalties. Banks may, however, be at liberty to charge issue and transaction costs to meet operational costs. But in no case, they should be permitted to levy ‘hidden costs’ in form of extraordinary interest rates for profit earning.

– Madhu Agrawal

Horrific incident in Mumbai

It was heart-wrenching to read about the incident of massive fire that broke out at the government-owned Employees’ State Insurance Corporation Hospital (Kamgar Hospital) in Marol, Andheri (east). The incident left eight people died and 151 others injured while 14 are in critical condition. Really, it is a big tragedy that shocked every one of us. It must be investigated who is responsible for this horrific disaster. I request the government of Maharashtra to provide the victims with all the possible assistance and should announce an appropriate amount for the bereaved families. Also, the government must ensure the safety of common people in public places, so such incidents should not take place again.

– Mohd Faheem

Kudos to Indian govt to assist Maldives

It was pleasing to learn that India is going to give an amount of $1.4 billion financial assistance to the Maldives as budget support, currency swap and line of credit for the social and economic development of Maldives. It is a highly appreciated step taken by the PM Modi for its neighbouring country to assist it. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to PM Modi for such heart-touching move which shows India’s generosity and humanity. Also this move will provide India to an opportunity to undertake high-profile infrastructure projects as China does. I expect hopefully that the government of Maldives will be immensely pleased to receive such amount from India and it will lead both the countries to a better relationship.

– MFU Tandvi

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Justin Langer says loved India’s aggression; calls Kohli-Paine showdown humorous

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

Australian coach Justin Langer says he quite liked India’s aggressive yet not-crossing-the-line approach in the second Test and insisted that the heated exchanges between Virat Kohli and Tim Paine were humorous, not abusive.

India skipper Kohli and his Australian counterpart Paine clashed on the field a few times and exchanged a lot of words, with physical contact almost becoming a reality at one point.

However, Langer said that he enjoyed the confrontation.

“I thought it was brilliant. As the two captains and they’re trying to stamp their authority on the game and I don’t think at any point there was any abuse or any real aggression to it,” Langer told ‘Fox Cricket’.

“In fact, there was a bit of humour and there’s been a lot of talk about banter. There’s got to be some in a Test match. It’s a great part of the game, and there was actually a bit of humour, a bit of Aussie humour as well.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on we’ve got a bad reputation in a lot of ways, but when there’s a bit of humour in it I thought it was a good exchange,” he said.

Langer said he was happy that his team could stand its ground against an aggressive India during the Test.

“…It was quite emotional at the end of day three to be honest because I felt India had been really aggressive. I love it and that’s what Test cricket is really about. But we just needed to keep standing our ground with our skill, and hopefully we did that in this Test match,” he said.

Asked about that particular moment when Kohli and Paine were almost in each other’s physical space, Langer said it was all part of the theatrics.

“I think the days of Dennis Lillee and Javed Miandad are gone. I think Andrew Symonds did it to a spectator one day, it was one of the best shirt-fronts you’ve ever seen in your life, but I can’t ever imagine that in the environment we’re now in with so many cameras,” he said.

“It’d be absolutely silly for that to happen. That’s not cricket. They (Paine and Kohli) got close, but in a lot of ways, it’s not a contact sport. We get that, but it was all part of that theatre of Test cricket and I didn’t see anything malicious in that.”

India lost the second Test by 146 runs as Australia pulled level 1-1 in the series.

Langer said that the win — Australia’s first since the ball tampering scandal — was more relief than joyous.

“When we got Rishabh Pant out, that was the first time in about 16 hours that I relaxed. I just had this sneaking suspicion – he’s a very dangerous player, when he got out I thought ‘ok now we can maybe enjoy it’,” Langer said.

“I remember my first Test hundred, if you go to my house there’s the bat I had, and it’s just a relief after all that time. It’s probably eight years, and that was the emotion. In a lot of ways that’s the emotion now, relief to get the result.”

“A lot of them (Australian cricketers) have been bashed for nine months. Now they can sit back and enjoy it.”

Langer also praised Paine’s leadership skills.

“Tim Paine is the toughest pretty boy I’ve seen, but he is incredibly impressive as a captain and a person. He hasn’t got a bad bone in his body. What the world doesn’t see is his presence in the change room,” he said.

“He’s a real learner, he’s very thorough, he prepares as well as anyone … the other thing about Tim Paine we often forget is he’s literally the best keeper in the world…He’s an unbelievable cricketer,” said the coach.

India made the mistake of not going with a full-time spinner and it proved costly in the end, with Nathan Lyon picking man-of-the-match award for his eight wickets.

Langer paid tribute to the off-spinner.

“When Mohammed Shami was bowling his aggressive spell (in the second innings on day four), I was nervous to watch and was thinking ‘maybe we should declare now because we didn’t want anything to happen to Nathan Lyon (or any of our bowlers),” he said.

“Kohli’s the best player in the world. Those two wickets (for Lyon on day four), what he allows us to do by bowling so well is give our fast bowlers a bit more of a spell. And he can bowl so well, not just holding up an end but he’s taking wickets for us,” said Langer.

While India have brought in Mayank Agarwal and Hardik Pandya for the Boxing Day Test, Australia have named an unchanged squad, even as doubts surface over the form of middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb.

“There are areas every one of our players can improve… The only thing I’ve spoken to him (Handscomb) about so far is I wonder if he’s watching the ball…,” he pointed out.

Anti-BJP Mahagathbandhan an illusion, it doesn’t exist anywhere: Shah

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday declared the planned mahagathbandhan of parties opposed to the BJP was an illusion.

Shah was speaking at a summit organised by Republic TV on Wednesday. Shah argued, “The reality of an opposition mahagathbandhan was different [from the rhetoric]. It doesn’t exist and is a bhranti (illusion).” Shah declared the mahagathbandhan does not exist anywhere.

“We have fought against all of them [opposition parties] in 2014 and defeated them to form the government. They are all regional leaders, they can’t help each other,” Shah said.

Shah accepted the BJP’s loss in assembly elections in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to the Congress was “not favourable” for the saffron party, but stated “it was not right” to link the results to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Shah noted, “State polls can’t be linked to Lok Sabha poll results; both elections are fought on separate issues.” However, Shah conceded, “It is imperative not only for the BJP, but also for the country that the BJP wins the next elections in the Hindi heartland and other areas.” The ‘Hindi heartland’—consisting of states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh—had given the bulk of the 282 seats the BJP won in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Shah also claimed he was “sure” the BJP and Shiv Sena would contest the next Lok Sabha polls and talks were on with the regional party. Earlier this year, the Shiv Sena declared it would contest the next Lok Sabha and assembly polls on its own. While it has been constantly critical of the BJP, the Shiv Sena remains part of the NDA and is a partner of the BJP in Maharashtra.

NOTA option – effective political participation

By

Vinod Dixit

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December 19, 2018

NOTA was introduced in India following the 2013 Supreme Court directive in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties vs. Union of India judgement. Thus, India became the 14th country to institute negative voting. However, NOTA in India does not provide a ‘right to reject’. The candidate with the maximum votes wins the election irrespective of the number of NOTA votes polled.

The NOTA or “None of the above” option appeared to have outperformed several political parties, including the AAP and Samajwadi Party, which contested the assembly polls in the five states. The 2016 Assembly elections and now in 2019, we have seen active canvassing for NOTA, which allows voters to express their dissent against all the contestants. A quick analysis of NOTA usage in all elections so far does suggest some interesting early pointers. First, reserved constituencies have seen a relatively larger number of NOTA votes, which points to the continued social prejudice against political reservation for SC/STs. It clearly shows that a small number of Indian voters have come to see NOTA as an instrument of protest. NOTA has been a real option for many — more than independents and also-ran parties.

In its 2013 decision, the Supreme Court agreed: Democracy is all about choice. This choice can be better expressed by giving the voters an opportunity to verbalise themselves unreservedly and by imposing least restrictions on their ability to make such a choice. By providing the NOTA button in the Electronic Voting Machines, it will accelerate the effective political participation in the present state of the democratic system and the voters, in fact, will be empowered.

It is clear that despite popular vote, the NOTA option has made the contest difficult for the BJP. This is something all the political parties must take note of. NOTA is very useful for voters to show their resentment. But it should be effective in the sense of rejection of the candidate, the candidate must have to change if NOTA voters are greater than actual votes polled in that constituency.

The vote percentage of NOTA embarks some sparking facts. The high share of NOTA in those constituencies which have seen a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP shows that people still believe in the national party rather for casting vote for the regional parties which can be seen as awareness of public considering the wider sight.

There must be awareness among the public to use the option and the power of NOTA should be used to cause some alarm in the political parties but at present, it is a useless option. It is political idealism, it is ‘taking back the moral space in politics’.

The NOTA voters reveal the fact that the people not who just stayed home with the lazy excuse saying they don’t believe in the democracy of money, muscle power, and mesmerising demagoguery. They stepped out of their homes, stood in long queues, got themselves inked and voted to register their protest. This is an active, aggressive rejection of the politics-as-usual. The NOTA voters believe in sending a gradual, personal warning to the system to clean up.

Apart from India, Bangladesh, Spain, Columbia, Greece and Ukraine have the same form of NOTA options available for voters. Both Pakistan and Russia have in recent years removed this option.

Party leaders claim that although NOTA does not have any impact on the election results, a high number of NOTA votes will certainly reflect the general disillusionment of the people towards politics in general, which is not good for democracy. Votes cast for NOTA are counted and reported separately but do not affect the outcome of the election. Thus, NOTA is quite literally a protest option. NOTA allows uninformed voters to participate without adversely accepting the election result, particularly under compulsory voting.

NOTA is an explicit option on the voting machine, and this makes it fundamentally different from simply casting an invalid vote as can be done in many countries. More awareness about NOTA should be created so that it would be an alarming signal for the looting politicians.

Vinod C. Dixit

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Children as young as 10 Fight, Kill and Die in Yemen’s war

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

Yemen, Yemen's War, Houthi rebels, child soldiers, front line, yemen — Children play at a rehabilitation center for former child soldiers in Marib, Yemen, in this July 28, 2018, photo. Many of the boys who come here are traumatized by their experiences _ indoctrinated for jihad by Houthi rebels, surviving airstrikes, seeing other fighters killed and maimed, being beaten or abused by officers. Classes at the center try to get the children to remember their lives before the civil war. (NARIMAN EL-MOFTY / AP PHOTO)

The number etched on the bracelet around Mohammed’s wrist gave the 13-year-old soldier comfort as missiles fired from enemy warplanes shook the earth beneath him.

For two years Mohammed fought with Yemen’s Houthi rebels against a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States. He says he tortured and killed people and didn’t care whether he lived or died.

But if he died, the bracelet would guarantee his body made it home.

“When I become a martyr, they enter my number in the computer, retrieve my picture and my name, then print them with the name ‘Martyr’ underneath,” Mohammed said. It would be pasted to the lid of his coffin for return to his family.

Mohammed was among 18 former child soldiers interviewed by The Associated Press who described the Houthis’ unrelenting efficiency when it comes to the recruitment, deployment and even battlefield deaths of boys as young as 10.

While both sides in the four-year civil war have sent children into combat in violation of international human rights conventions, the Houthis are believed to have recruited many more than the coalition often forcibly.

The Houthis have inducted 18,000 child soldiers into their rebel army since the beginning of the war in 2014, a senior Houthi military official acknowledged to the AP. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

That figure is higher than any number previously reported. The United Nations was able to verify 2,721 children recruited to fight for all sides in the conflict, the large majority for the Houthis, but officials say that count is likely low, because many families will not speak about the issue out of fear of reprisals from Houthi militiamen.

The Houthis say officially that they don’t recruit children and send away those who try to enlist.

Some of the children told the AP they joined the rebels willingly, mainly because of promises of money or the chance to carry a weapon. But others described being forced into the service of the Houthis abducted from schools or homes or coerced into joining in exchange for a family member’s release from detention.

Many can be seen manning checkpoints along main roads across northern and western Yemen, AK-47s dangling from their narrow shoulders. Others are sent to the front lines as foot soldiers.

A 13-year-old named Riyadh said half of the fighters he served with on the front lines in Yemen’s mountainous Sirwah district were children. Rebel officers ordered them to push forward during battles, even as coalition jets zoomed overhead, he said.

He said he pleaded with his commander to let the young fighters take cover during airstrikes: “Sir, the planes are bombing.” The reply, he said, was always: “Followers of God, you must attack!” An unknown number of child soldiers have been sent home in coffins.

More than 6,000 children have died or been maimed in Yemen since the beginning of the war, UNICEF reported in October. But the U.N. agency has not been able to determine how many of those minors were combatants and the Houthi-run Defense Ministry does not release its records for casualties.

A former teacher from the city of Dhamar said that at least 14 pupils from his school were recruited and then died in battle. Their pictures were placed on empty classroom seats in 2016 during the Week of the Martyr, which the Houthis celebrate each year in February. Most of them were fifth and sixth graders, he said. An education official from Dhamar confirmed his account. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution.

The teacher said some of the dead children’s parents were Houthi leaders who willingly sent their sons to the front lines. “It’s painful because this is a child and they are all my children because I was their teacher,” he said. “They were taken from the school and returned in coffins.” The Houthis and the coalition forces began peace talks in Sweden two weeks ago, but an end to the war appears far off. Many worry about what will become of the children who fought in the Middle East’s poorest country once a peace treaty is signed.

Naguib al-Saadi, a Yemeni human rights activist who founded a Saudi-funded counseling center in Marib for child warriors, said “the real problem with Houthi recruitment of the children will be felt in 10 years when a generation that has been brainwashed with hatred and enmity toward the West comes of age.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Rajya Sabha proceedings washed out for 7th day

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Web Team

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December 19, 2018

The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out for the seventh day on Wednesday after the opposition and treasury benches clashed over the Rafale deal and Tamil parties protested over the Cauvery issue.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after Congress members holding placards seeking a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the Rafale deal trooped into the well of the House soon after official papers were laid on the table.

They joined members of the AIADMK and DMK who have been trooping to the well of the House over the Cauvery issue ever since the Winter Session of Parliament began on December 11.

Treasury benches countered the Congress by raising banners seeking an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi following the Supreme Court clean chit to the Rafale deal.

Amid the uproar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Goel demanded that Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma withdraw the remarks made by him in the House on Tuesday.

Goel said Sharma had wrongly quoted him to say that he had demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue.

He said he was fully aware that Gandhi was not a member of the House and had only asked for an apology from the Congress following the Supreme Court ruling on the Rafale deal.

Goel charged Sharma with misleading the House and said the government is ready for discussions on all issues including the Rafale deal.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he would look into the records.

Naidu also allowed Bhupendra Yadav (BJP) to make his submission on the statement made by the newly sworn-in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

He said a person holding a Constitutional post cannot incite hatred against persons of other states and so his Zero Hour mention on the subject be taken on record.

As the slogan shouting from both sides continued, Naidu said, “It is very clear that none of you want the House to run”.

“I don’t want this (ruckus) to be seen by the people,” he said, while adjourning the proceedings for the day.

Earlier as the House met, Naidu mentioned that 97 Rajya Sabha MPs contributed over Rs 36.5 crore from their MPLAD funds for relief and rehabilitation works in flood-ravaged Kerala.

Also, 60 MPs contributed their one month’s salary, totalling Rs 58.69 lakh, towards the same cause.

He appealed to members to contribute generously for the relief and rehabilitation of Kerala flood victims.