What About Tolerance, National Security?
Jaitley attacks the Opposition over the “intolerance” debate. He says, “There were instances of violence at holy places before Delhi elections. Most of the cases were solved by the state police. But this was already labelled intolerance.”
The Finance Minister also attacked the Congress over the “Ishrat Jahan affidavit” issue. He said, “The case wasn’t just about changing an affidavit. For 90 days the charge sheet wasn’t filed against people who were involved”.
He added,
You have removed the part where LeT was mentioned. When (David) Headley made his statement it came to the fore again.
Jaitley addresses questions on black money. He tells the House that the government has no hesitation in releasing the names of those accused of possessing black money. But adds that names can be provided once criminal cases are registered. Jaitley added that if the names are revealed before filing cases, that will only work in the favour of the accused.
He also hit out at the Opposition telling Rajya Sabha that the earlier plans introduced by the UPA government had failed to bring back black money stashed abroad.
Jaitley also tells the House, these are times of a global crisis which is why all parties need to work together.
He also says, “I don’t think the situation with private banks is a crisis, it is a challenge”.
Jaitley attacked the Opposition over inflation, slams the Congress saying, “You left inflation in double digits when you left office.”
Not Against Kanhaiya: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks in the Rajya Sabha, tells the House that there was no bias against any arrested student.
He was speaking about Kanhaiya Kumar, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union President.
D Raja Causes Uproar in RS
Communist Party of India (CPI) member D Raja dares government to show political will to strike off the Sedition law.
The RSS and Hindu Mahasabha never participated in the freedom struggle which is the source of nationalism, said Raja, while explaining the idea of “anti-nationalism” propagated against the students of JNU.
Motion of Thanks for the President’s Address
Communist Party of India (Marxist) member Sitaram Yechury expresses solidarity with suppressed women.
Yechury questioned why the Women’s Reservation Bill has not been passed in the Lok Sabha even though it has already gone through in the Rajya Sabha.
He also expressed “deep regret” that the President has not mentioned any of the issues faced by the higher education institutions – Hyderabad University, JNU, FTII, IIT-Chennai (Madras), and now Allahabad University – in his motion of thanks.
“They’re trying to make this a Hindu rashtra,” says Yechury after mentioning the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)‘s effect on the government.
What we are saying in this address is a very dangerous course for what will be the future of our Indian Republic. Total silence on the issues that are dividing our our people and dividing them through violence and strife, through the spread of hate and poison. And that is completely ignored in this address (President’s address).Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Leader