Lok Sabha debates from afternoon to midnight, sets record
Lok Sabha MPs made a new record on Thursday when they discussed railways privatization till midnight. The discussion, in which more than 100 lawmakers participated, started early in the afternoon and ended at 11:58 PM, just two minutes before midnight. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said this happened for the first time in 18 years that MPs sat for so long. Here's more.
Opposition tore into Centre for "selling dreams" like bullet trains
Notably, the debate on demands for grants under the Ministry of Railways prompted sharp reactions from Opposition parties like Trinamool and Congress. Slamming the Centre over the "alleged" attempts to privatize Railways, the parties said it was "selling dreams" like bullet trains, which aren't feasible. The Opposition opined PM Narendra Modi's government was focusing on "selling off" properties of Railways, instead of improving services.
One day PM Modi will sell India, said Congress leader
Weighing in on the discussion, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, said aviation ministry was trying to "sell" Air India, and Railways Minister wanted to do the same with assets of Indian Railways. "One day PM Modi will sell the country," he alleged. He also mocked Centre's promise of getting Rs. 50 lakh crore investment in coming years.
Chowdhury also slammed Centre over cows' deaths due to accidents
Further, Chowdhury highlighted that while PM Modi said Railways won't be privatized, the budget spoke about public-private partnership, corporatization, and disinvestment. He also said that apart from signing MoUs and making promises, the government hasn't done much. Chowdhury said 23,000 cows have died due to train accidents because the Centre couldn't come up with a protection plan.
When asked about data on cows, Chowdhury gave amusing response
Chowdhury's statement on cows amused everyone. When he was asked where he got the data from, he replied, "Kya ye data Railway ke daftar se chori kar ke laye hain?" (Did I steal these from Rail ministry)." Interestingly, Chowdhury wasn't the only one who questioned the Centre. NCP MP Supriya Sule sought an assurance from Centre that it wouldn't privatize Railways, like Air India.
Focus on safety and old bridges, suggested Trinamool leader
Separately, Trinamool's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, suggested Centre to focus on railway bridges which are over 100 years old as they affect passengers' safety. Highlighting shortage of gang-men and rail drivers, Bandyopadhyay asked, "When will you fill these vacancies?" He also said base kitchen, cleanliness, food safety, and quality, should be given priority. Bandyopadhyay claimed merging Railways budget with Union one wasn't a good idea.
Meanwhile, Kanimozhi raised objection at language on signboards
Participating in the debate, DMK leader Kanimozhi said it was a shame Railways still employed manual scavengers. She alleged all signboards in Railways were in Hindi and regional languages should be included too. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena's Rajan Vichare, JD(U)'s Dileshwar Kamait, BJD's C Sahoo and BSP's Fazlur Rahman also spoke on the topic. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is likely to reply on Friday.
Countering Opposition, BJP MP spoke about milestones of Railways
Before Goyal replies to Opposition leaders, BJP MP Sunil Kumar Singh countered their claims. Singh said Railways was in a much better place than before and was setting new milestones. He underscored that between 2014 and 2019, accidents reduced by 73%. Singh also said capital investment grew from Rs. 2.3 lakh crore in 2009-14 to Rs. 4.97 lakh crore during 2014-19.
