National
Rafale deal echoes in Lok Sabha again, FM’s reply cut short (Lead)
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) The Rafale deal echoed in the Lok Sabha once again on Thursday, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claiming the Congress was “manufacturing” allegations on the defence deal, leading to opposition protests and adjournment of the House and cutting short of his reply.
Shortly before the House was adjourned, members from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), who had been standing near the Speaker’s podium with placards throughout Jaitley’s reply so far, surrounded his seat to listen to his announcements regarding Andhra Pradesh, while members from the Congress raised slogans, and other MPs from opposition parties supported the Congress from their seats.
In the course of his reply on the Budget debate, Jaitley said the Congress was trying to manufacture a scam in Rafale fighter jet purchase because it had not been able to find any corruption case in the Narendra Modi government’s tenure so far.
“The (earlier) United Progressive Alliance government was stigmatised because of corruption. In this government, because they could not find any corruption cases, they manufactured one,” Jaitley said.
The Minister also quoted a number of written replies in Parliament by Ministers from the then UPA governments, wherein they had refused to quote the price in defence deals citing security concerns.
“Break-up of cost will tell what weapon systems are there in the deal. These security pacts are inherent part of these defence contracts,” he said.
“They’re compromising national security by asking for details which should not be made public, by which I mean known to the enemy,” Jaitley added.
This was countered by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who said the opposition did not want any details that would compromise national security and the government can just reveal the price of purchase.
Jaitley however said that a break-up of the price may reveal details of the missiles and equipment that are in the deal. He also questioned if Congress President Rahul Gandhi was on the same page as Tharoor, prompting protests from opposition benches.
Following this, Congress members insisted that Rahul Gandhi, who came to the house just as the Rafale issue was being raised, should be allowed to speak.
The Congress members got support from the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist members. Trinamool’s Saugata Roy raised a point of order that since Jaitley had referred to the Congress President, Gandhi should be allowed to speak.
The Congress members, meanwhile, trooped near the Speaker’s podium, where members from the TDP and YSR Congress were already standing with placards, and started raising slogans.
Members from the treasury benches also raised their pitch as Congress members demanded clarification on the Rafale deal.
Jaitley, however, said that he did not want his speech to be interrupted and said he would speak on the Andhra Pradesh issues.
“Mr. (Veerappa) Moily raised the Rafale issue in his speech, so it was my duty to respond. There is no reason why my speech should be interrupted,” he said.
Amid a ruckus by the Congress and other opposition members, the TDP members surrounded the Finance Minister’s chair to listen to the announcements.
On this, opposition members wondered if it was a National Democratic Alliance meeting, in which the TDP and the BJP are allies.
CPI-M MP Md. Salim said he has never witnessed a similar scene in Parliament in the past.
Amid the din, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the Lok Sabha for the day without the completion of Jaitley’s reply or passage of the Budget.
–IANS
ao/tsb/bg
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.
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