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Land bill should have been used as bargaining chip to pass GST: H.K. Dua
By Sreeparna Chakrabarty
New Delhi: Perturbed at the washout of his last session as a member of parliament, veteran journalist H.K. Dua feels that “track-II diplomacy” is needed between the ruling and the opposition sides to make parliament function.
“There could have been a possibility of consensus in this session. There was no dialogue between opposition and the government. There was no initiative taken by the government,” an agitated Dua told in an interview.
“Government has to be responsive,” he said.
Dua, a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, finishes his six-year term in November this year and unless a special session is called to pass the Goods and Services Tax Bill, the monsoon session was his last.
The noted political analyst felt that the government could have used some bargaining power to push through the GST Bill.
“Land bill should have been used as a bargaining chip. They should have bargained that in exchange for that the GST bill should be passed,” he said.
Asked if there should be a law to prevent disruption of parliament, he said: “Law will not help, consensus will help. There is no dearth of rules to punish an errant MP. But if the entire party moves into the well, then what to do”.
Dua said he had seen numerous sittings of parliament, first as a newsman and then as an MP.
But things, according to him, have deteriorated over the four years. “The last couple of years of the UPA and the current session of the NDA government have set new (low) standards”.
“My worst points as an MP were when the land boundary and the Lokpal bills were torn apart on the floor of the Rajya Sabha”.
He said the functioning of parliament should be considered sacred. “Parliament is a key stone of democracy,” he added.
The recently concluded monsoon session of parliament was a washout, with opposition parties, specially the Congress, paralysing the functioning of both the houses.
Drawing parallels of the current stalemate with the UPA government’s last two years in power, Dua said: “Earlier they (BJP) wanted to demolish Congress-raj. There will always be issues,” adding this had to be sorted out.
“When you are not allowing parliament to function, you are not fighting the government, you are fighting parliament”.
He said that by not allowing a debate on contentious issues till the last moment, the opposition allowed the government “to get away”.
He said consensus was important for running parliament. “No parliament can function without dialogue and debate,” he said, adding democracy comes after centuries in a country and “we should protect it”.
He said because of disruptions, bills are passed without detailed scrutiny in parliament. “They (BJP) were wrong earlier; the Congress is wrong now”.
He said people were laughing at parliament. “There could be differences, but there should be no acrimony. You have to accept defeat and victory,” he said.
Dua was the editor of the Hindustan Times during 1987-94, editor-in-chief of The Indian Express during 1994-96 and editor of The Tribune during 2003-09.
He served as India’s Ambassador to Denmark from February 2008 to November 2009.
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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