National
Treasury benches disrupt RS, opposition says government shying away from debate
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Members from the treasury benches on Thursday disrupted the Rajya Sabha and forced an adjournment by shouting slogans and coming into the aisle as Congress MP P. Chidambaram stood up to speak on the Budget in the post-lunch sitting.
The opposition accused the government of running away from a debate on the Budget.
As soon as the House met at 2 p.m., the Chair called out Chidambaram’s name who was scheduled to speak on the Union Budget. As Chidambaram, a former Finance Minister stood up to speak, some members from the treasury benches stood up and started making noise.
A minute later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar walked into the House. Kumar, after taking his seat, was seen gesturing at the ruling party MPs all of whom then stood up and trooped into the aisle.
Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad told Ananth Kumar that it did not behove the treasury benches members to disturb the House.
“Mr Parliamentary Affairs Minister, with a great difficulty the Chairman and the opposition parties succeeded after a great deal of discussion since yesterday in deciding that this House should function. And this time not a single opposition member got up,” Azad said.
“For the first time, the ruling party does not want to discuss the government business. This is a total failure of the government,” he added.
Kumar replied that Azad’s accusations were not right as the members (who were making noise) had “every right” to raise their issues.
“The Leader of Opposition is unnecessarily accusing that we do not want to run the House. We want to have a fruitful debate on the Budget. But if there are issues pertaining to the members, they have every right to raise their issues,” Kumar said.
However, it soon became clear that the ruling party MPs were creating the ruckus on purpose.
“The Leader of Opposition should also advise his colleagues in Lok Sabha that when the Prime Minister was giving reply to President’s address (on Wednesday), they did not allow the Prime Minister to speak. They should have advised Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. They did not try to stop their members from protesting,” Kumar said.
“They want to disturb the Prime Minister in Lok Sabha and want support of the House when they speak in Rajya Sabha,” he added.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said that the BJP and the NDA members were disturbing the House as they “do not have facts to face the opposition”.
“Come and debate with us,” O’Brien said.
Kumar said that for disruption in the Lok Sabha during the Prime Minister’s reply, the Congress should apologise to the Prime Minister and the nation.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said that it was “most unfortunate” that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister was “inciting” the members of the treasury benches.
T.K. Rangarajan, who was presiding, adjourned the House for 10 minutes.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.