As farmers’ protests around the national capital continue, several MPs on Tuesday, 9 February including Akhilesh Yadav, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah cornered the government on farm laws and slammed PM Modi’s remarks of calling protesters ‘aandolanjeevi’.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday addressed the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha on the search and rescue operations in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district following flash floods that left at least 26 people dead and 206 others missing.
He also offered condolences to the deceased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning got emotional in the Rajya Sabha while bidding farewell to Congress veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, following which Azad too broke down in his response while talking about the 1999 Odisha cyclone and terrorism in Kashmir.
Azad thanked the Prime Minister and all the leader in the house who paid tributes to him.
- Several leaders in the House paid tributes to Ghulam Nabi Azad and three other outgoing MPs
- PM Modi, in his speech about Azad mentioned several anecdotes to highlight how Azad was an astute politician
- Leaders of the Opposition parties and farm unions have hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘andolanjeevi’ remarks
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Harmimrat Kaur Badal Slams Government Over Handling of Farmers' Protests
Punjab MP and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday slammed the government over the handling of farmers’ protests and said that there weer no words of synmpathy for the protesters by the Prime Minister while addressing the House.
“They are protesting on raliway tracks since the month of June, but they did not pay heed,” she said that her party left the alliance to supportt the farmers.
She also said that the alliance was brought in without taking the farmers and relevant stakeholders in confidence.
Badal further slammed the arrests of journalists and said that Mandeep Punia should be questioned as to how BJP workers are creating nuisance on ground.
Punjab MPs Submit Private Members' Bills Against Farm Laws
Eight Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab individually and collectively submitted Private Members Bills for repealing the three farmLaws. The Bills are called The Repealing and Amending Act 2021, ANI reported.
'PM's MSP Promise Not a Reality On Ground,' Says Akhilesh, Slams 'Aandolanjeevi' Remark
Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday while addressing the Lok Sabha said that the reality of MSPs on ground is different than what PM Modi has promised in his speech on Monday.
“Yesterday I heard 'MSP tha, MSP hai, MSP rahega'. It's just in speech but not on ground. Farmers aren't getting it, had they been getting, they wouldn't have been sitting in Delhi. I congratulate agitating farmers that they have awakened farmers across India,” he said.
“If the government says that the laws are for farmers, why is it not taking it back if farmers aren't accepting them? People for whom the laws have been made don't want ithem. Are allegations that you rolled out a carpet for corporates and brought these laws not right?” he said.
Slamming PM Modi’s ‘aandolanjeevi’ remark about prortesters, Yadav said that it was protests like these that helped the country get independence..
“The nation attained independence through agitation. Innumerable rights were received through agitation. Women received the right to vote through agitation. Mahatama Gandhi became the father of the nation because he agitated for Africa, the world and the nation,” he said.
Farooq Abdullah Raps Centre Over Farm Laws, J&K special Status
While speaking in the Lok Sabha, J&K MP and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday slammed the government for allegedly creating religious divide.
He also slammed the government for Abrogation o Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and called out members of the ruling party for referiing to the citizens of J&K as Pakistanis.