Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeEditorialThe Great Indian ‘Tamasha’ in Parliament

The Great Indian ‘Tamasha’ in Parliament

- Advertisement -

The Budget Session of the Parliament on Wednesday witnessed drama similar to TV operas. In Rajya Sabha, BJP leader and Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and BSP supremo Mayawati got into a horrible quarrel over Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide. By creating JNU episode, BJP tried to divert people’s attention from Rohit Vemula but Mayawati, whose core vote bank is Dalit, how she can let this go? As soon as the Upper House of the Parliament was convened for Zero Hour, former UP Chief Minister Mayawati raised the suicide issue of research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University (HCU), questioning the inclusion of Dalits in the probe committee investigating his death. Mayawati, in her long tirade which continued despite the Speaker’s intervention, accused the Modi government of not doing enough to punish those she alleged were responsible for pushing the student to take his life and demanded the resignation of two central ministers -Bandaru Dattatreya and Smriti Irani.

To this, evidently frantic education minister Smriti Irani replied, “Mayawatiji, you and your BSP leaders and workers, hear this out for once and all. I will cut off my head and present it at your feet if you are not satisfied with my reply.”

Mayawati who was not convinced with Irani’s explanation said, “You are not letting anyone speak. And you are an anti-Dalit. I am just asking, what was the problem in including a Dalit in the probe committee? If the person appointed was a Dalit, why aren’t you replying to our questions? Irani in response said, “There were Dalits in the probe committee. You didn’t accept their judgement. The probe committee included a Dalit professor, the warden is a Dalit. Do you want to say that a citizen becomes a Dalit only when Mayawati certifies him to be so?” After this verbal duel, the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien was forced to adjourn proceedings multiple times.

Whatever incidents happening in the education front has proved that this HRD minister is not capable of handling the ministry and its affairs properly. Because of her unrest in the country’s education has developed and student community has been provoked to come on streets. Thus, she must tender her resignation from the post otherwise situation is unlikely to turn normal. Moreover, the entire government will have to shun the path of confrontation which they have adopted in order to implement the poisonous ideology of RSS (i.e. Hindu nationalism) as the nation is not going to accept this under any circumstances and at any cost. This could lead to dangerous consequences of dis-integration of the nation as I feel need of the hour is to convince the people that this government believes in the present Constitution of India and have full respect for its values as they do not want any change in the position stated in the Constitution of India. Presently, people think that freedom of expression and religion has snatched from them, which need to be rectified from people’s mind.

Moreover, Smriti Irani is an arrogant lady who is not even qualified to occupy the important HRD Ministry. There are several qualified and more competent ministers in the ruling party, NDA who should be assigned the HRD portfolio. It is deplorable that the BJP, being ruling party, itself is resorting to disruption of Parliament. BJP is cheating the common people of India, who have given clear mandate to the party. The saffron party is resorting to all sorts of gimmicks and distortions/disturbances/aggressions exclusively to divert the attention from its utter failure in governance. Modi government have not fulfilled any of the promises of its manifesto. So, it wants a scapegoat and that is pseudo-nationalism. Middle class and poor people are struggling to make both ends meet due to spiralling prices of essential commodities, due to price hike of essential commodities by BJP to help the rogue traders. Modi made impractical promises like ‘Achche Din, ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’, ‘Kaala Dhan Waapsi in 100 days’, etc. and cheated the voters. As the government failed at every front, they found a scapegoat in pseudo-nationalism. They have a FM, an agent of rogue corporates who cheated the national banks to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees and a HRD Minister, who is out to destroy the educational system of this country.

The saga did not stop here, similar attack on the Left came soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered the House and a BJP MP passed on some papers to party member Meenakshi Lekhi. Amid sharp protests from CPI(M) members, Lekhi listed out killings allegedly committed by Left cadres in the southern poll-bound State and accused them of committing “atrocities on campus” and “white-washing their brutalities through repressive policies”. The attack on the Left also came against the backdrop of CPI (M) and its allies being in the forefront in targeting the BJP and the Centre over the JNU row. After that, they targeted the Congress. Lekhi claimed that India was known for corruption till the government under Mr. Modi came to power. Noting that the “biggest drawback” that led to corruption was the problem with the banking system; she said there have been improvements in that sector since the NDA came to power. Earlier, loans were sanctioned to big businessmen and some of them did not repay the money. There were attacks and counter attacks but Mayawati and Irani were involved in bitter arguments. God only knows, when will our parliamentarians learn to put substance instead of drama in their discussions?

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Vaidehi Taman
Vaidehi Tamanhttps://authorvaidehi.com
Vaidehi Taman an Accredited Journalist from Maharashtra is bestowed with three Honourary Doctorate in Journalism. Vaidehi has been an active journalist for the past 21 years, and is also the founding editor of an English daily tabloid – Afternoon Voice, a Marathi web portal – Mumbai Manoos, and The Democracy digital video news portal is her brain child. Vaidehi has three books in her name, "Sikhism vs Sickism", "Life Beyond Complications" and "Vedanti". She is an EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker, OSCP offensive securities, Certified Security Analyst and Licensed Penetration Tester that caters to her freelance jobs.
- Advertisement -

Latest

Must Read

- Advertisement -

Related News