Parliament is not functioning because the Prime Minister is running away from answering questions and bulldozing the principle of accountability, the Congress said on Tuesday, rebutting Narendra Modi’s charge that the Opposition party was disrupting proceedings.
“The Opposition is doing its duty and the Prime Minister is being undemocratic. He is showing raj-hath (arrogance of power),” Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma told The Telegraph.
“The Pegasus snooping row is no ordinary issue. It is extremely serious and directly related to national security. It is a joke that the Prime Minister thinks he can get away by making the new IT minister read a statement. Other democracies have initiated probe. India will have to order a probe. The deadlock is created because the government has not responded democratically. The government has acted in a manner that lowers the prestige of Parliament. The Opposition is struggling to prevent India from becoming a surveillance state,” he said.
For the sixth day, neither House transacted any substantial business as the Opposition demanded a Supreme Court monitored investigation into the Pegasus spying controversy and the scrapping of the three farm laws against which thousands of farmers have been holding a sit-in at Delhi’s borders for eight months now.
While several Opposition parties are protesting in the House, Modi singled out the Congress and asked BJP MPs to tell the “people and the media” that it was not allowing Parliament to function.
Arguing that Modi just wanted to stonewall all questions on Pegasus and the farmers’ movement, Congress leader Sharma said: “What the Opposition is demanding is well within the rules of business and tradition of Parliament. Is it the first time a debate and an inquiry are being sought in a major scandal? Should the Congress close its eyes and let the government spy on everybody? And what has been the attitude of the government towards farmers? They are sitting on the road for eight months, isn’t that unprecedented in the history of independent India? Is the Prime Minister telling the nation Parliament is not meant for these vital issues?”
Sharma said: “It is unfair and most unfortunate that the Prime Minister blamed us and asked the BJP MPs to expose the Congress for not allowing Parliament to function. It is the Prime Minister who is bulldozing the principle of accountability. He is running away, not answering questions and that’s why Parliament is not functioning.”
Leader of the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who addressed the media earlier along with leaders of several other Opposition parties, said: “It is wrong to say that the government is ready for discussion in Parliament. All the Opposition parties wanted discussion on Pegasus issue and farmers’ agitation even today but the government didn’t agree. We want the truth to come out in Pegasus row. When France, Hungary, Mexico and Israel have instituted probes, what does the Government of India want to hide? If the Government hasn’t done snooping, who allowed any other agency to do that? If snooping was done without permission, that has also to be investigated.”
Kharge added: “This is not the way to function in a democracy. This is dictatorial. Modi is not ready to resolve any issue in a democratic spirit. The government says the Opposition parties are not willing for a dialogue. That is untrue. Call all the parties and discuss the way out of this stalemate.”
The Trinamul Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, NCP, RJD, CPI and the CPM supported the demand for discussion and a Supreme Court-monitored probe.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said: “What is tragic is that the government is pressuring us to discuss bills which will write off lakhs of crores of bank loans. The bills that are against the interest of nation are more important for the government, not the issue that has imperilled national security. Not the farmers.”
TMC’s Sukhendu Shekhar Roy asked: “Why is the government not interested in finding out who was snooping? Without discussing Pegasus and farmers, we will not allow any business. If these issues will not be debated in Parliament, where will they be discussed, in a coffee shop?”
RJD’s Manoj Jha said: “Government is not ready for deliberation, only wants legislation…. What should we do – reduce Parliament to a lifeless concrete structure and Opposition should sign on the dotted line? This doesn’t happen. Democracy doesn’t function that way. Pegasus is not an ordinary development; very important people were kept under illegal surveillance.”
Former finance minister P. Chidambaram asked: “Based on investigations by an international group of journalists, The Wire has reported that there was ‘an Indian client of the NSO Group.’ Who was the ‘Indian client’? Was it the Government of India? Was it an agency of the Government? Was it a private entity? I am certain the client’s name will be revealed soon. Until then, I suppose the Government will brazen out the allegations of snooping.”
Digvijaya Singh also tweeted: “NSO which is under direct control of Israel government and therefore shall have a complete access to whatever information the client collects through Pegasus. Would it not compromise client’s national security? That is why we in opposition want either the Home Minister or the Prime Minister to brief the House and assure the nation that under no circumstances our national security would be compromised by anyone who has Pegasus software.”
