The largest democracy in the world has run into charges that its establishment does not allow the principal Opposition leader to ask questions like whether the families of farmers who lost their lives during the protest have been given compensation and whether there is a plan for a legally guaranteed minimum support price.

Two of the several written questions asked by Rahul Gandhi appeared to have been edited out, and the government’s answers to other questions tried to obfuscate and mislead.

Rahul tweeted today: “I asked questions on injustice to farmers: 1. Will the martyrs get compensation? 2. Is the government contemplating MSP? 3. What impact did Covid have on agriculture? The first two questions were gobbled up and the third evoked this answer — farming continued smoothly during the pandemic! What a mockery!”
The original letter containing the questions submitted by the Wayanad MP to the Lok Sabha secretary-general on November 22 was released by the Congress. It listed the questions as: “1. Will the minister of agriculture and farmers’ welfare be pleased to state:
a. Whether the families of farmers martyred during the yearlong farmers’ protest have been provided compensation.
b. If so, the state-wise details.
c. Whether the Government is considering the farming community’s demand for legally guaranteed MSP.
d. Whether the Government has assessed the impact of the Covid pandemic on agricultural households.
e. If so, the details thereof.
f. Whether the average debt of agricultural households has increased in light of the Covid pandemic.
g. If so, state-wise details thereof.”

Questions listed by the Lok Sabha secretariat under Rahul’s name started with the assessment of Covid on agriculture.

There are rules governing admissibility of questions and several MPs said their questions had not been accepted and answered. Recently on Pegasus, many MPs failed to get their questions listed and answered. One Congress MP also expressed surprise that Rahul was making this an issue.

A Lok Sabha secretariat official told The Telegraph: “It is the government’s prerogative to answer questions. All questions are not admitted. There is a format and the issue has to be of the central government’s concern.”

While many times questions about sub-judice matters and national security are not accepted, there have been numerous instances when even factual information sought on sub-judice matters have been answered.

While the Supreme Court is hearing matters related to the farmers’ agitation and MSP, many related questions were answered by the government. Only last week, the government answered a question on the number of farmers who died during the ongoing protest, saying it doesn’t have any data.

A Congress leader said: “The technicality of admitting questions is not our concern. The issue is political. Why shouldn’t the nation not know formally through the government whether the MSP law is in the offing or not? Why doesn’t the government tell us how many farmers died? The fact is that on many critical issues, like demonetisation, the government has been economical with truth.”

Rahul, who moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday to discuss the compensation for the farmers who lost their lives, was allowed to speak briefly by the Speaker.

Rahul said: “The entire country knows around 700 farmers have died. The Prime Minister has apologised. He has accepted his mistake. On November 30, the agriculture minister was asked how many farmers died. He said there was no data.

“We have details of 400 farmers who have been given compensation by the Punjab government. There is another list of farmers from Haryana. I am tabling the list. The government is saying they have no information. I want the government to check this list. The farmers should get justice.”