The New Indian Express News

Chouhan calls opposition uproar over VB-G RAM G Bill 'disgraceful,' accuses Opposition MPs of mobocracy

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday described the oppositions conduct during the Lok Sabha debate on the rural employment guarantee bill as disgraceful, accusing them of turning democracy into mobocracy and indulging in hooliganism. Speaking at a press conference at BJP headquarters after the House was adjourned due to the uproar, Chouhan questioned why the opposition was objecting to the bills name the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill. What was the fuss over the name of the Bill? The opposition is only concerned about the name but we are more focused on work. I strongly condemn the disgraceful behaviour of the Congress and the INDI bloc MPs in Parliament. Through their behaviour, the opposition disgraced democracy, tore parliamentary traditions to shreds and turned democracy into 'bheedtantra' (mobocracy) and 'goondatantra' (hooliganism), he said. The opposition members protested in Parliament for the emoval of the original name of the law -- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA). They tore the papers, stood atop the desks. Is it not the murder of Babu's ideals? Was it not immoral and undignified? Chouhan asked. The minister also asked whether Bapu would have accepted this kind of disgraceful behaviour of the opposition members. Chouhan said the oppositions behaviour in the Lok Sabha undermined both democracy and parliamentary decorum, showing a complete disregard for the spirit of democratic practice. Replying to a media query on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi being on a visit to Germany when the Lok Sabha discussed the Bill, the senior BJP leader said, I am saying this with a heavy heart that in a democracy, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and the opposition have their own importance but he is continuously diminishing that importance through his conduct and behaviour. By remaining absent during such an important discussion in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi has undermined the dignity of the post of LoP that he holds, Chouhan added. On the opposition's objection to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural job guarantee scheme, the BJP leader hit back and said, The name of the scheme is reflecting its objectives which is 'rojgaar and aajivika (employment and livelihood)'. I believe it reflects the ideals of Bapu. What's the problem with that? If the short form of the scheme has become G RAM G, then why are they so irritated with Ram ji (Lord Ram)? he asked. So far as the question of name is concerned, they named many schemes after late Jawaharlal Nehru, late Indira Gandhi and late Rajiv Gandhi. So, they are obsessed with names. They die for fame, we work for results, Chouhan added. The minister said he listened with complete seriousness to the addresses of 98 MPs who participated in the long discussions on the Bill in the Lok Sabha because debate and discussions are the soul of democracy. I was fully prepared to give my reply. But they did not allow me to complete my reply and disrupted the proceedings of the House. I am deeply hurt by the behaviour of the opposition, he said. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday following the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill, amid an opposition uproar over its provisions. As Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made his concluding remarks, opposition members raised slogans and tore copies of the bill. Speaker Om Birla subsequently adjourned the House. Friday marks the final day of the Winter session of Parliament. Chouhan highlighted that the bill increases the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days, with proposed funding of Rs 1,51,282 crore to support the expansion. The Centres share accounts for over Rs 95,000 crore. Under the new scheme, the government aims to develop villages comprehensivelybuilding complete, developed, employment-rich, and poverty-free villages, alongside providing employment guarantee This is the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that is why this new scheme has been introduced, he said. Chouhan said the government has prepared a comprehensive plan, including what a developed village will look like. The village will have proper infrastructure -- school, health centre, water reservoir, Anganwadi centre, livelihood works, roads and the like so that the village is well developed, he said. The minister said garib kalyan (welfare of the poor) is the resolve of the BJP. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, not one but numerous schemes are being undertaken to improve the lives of the poor, he added. That is why, more than 25 crore people have risen above the poverty line, the minister added. Chouhan said he did not understand why even the provisions that have been made from a human perspective are troubling the opposition. (With inputs from PTI)