The Lok Sabha’s early adjournment on Tuesday after frequent disruptions over the issue of rising fuel prices did not prevent ministers and Opposition MPs from clashing on issues to do with poll battles in other States and the farmers protests during a very short run Question Hour.
Former Union Minister and Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal protested the new norms by Food Corporation of India (FCI) that make it necessary for farmers to present their land records details before any direct transfer of e-payments, pointing out that 40% of Punjab farmers were small land holders and tenant farmers. Ms. Badal pointed out that Punjab Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act permitted farmers to sell their crop either through an intermediary or directly. “The new norms are an attack on the federal structure and the state’s powers,” she said.
Responding to Ms Badal, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said while the new norms were being accepted in the rest of the country, only Punjab was objecting to them. Describing the new norms as improving transparency, he chided his former Cabinet colleague, saying: “My sister here (Ms.Badal) was part of the Cabinet. Why has she forgotten the commitment of the Narendra Modi government towards transparency?”
He added that “to object to updating land records is not correct. The government wants a transparent system to ensure tax’ payers money is not wasted.”
BJP MP Sunita Duggal’s question on fishery policy and programmes was used by Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh to launch a few broadsides at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had demanded a ministry for fisheries during a recent campaign trip to Puducherry. Mr Singh said Mr. Gandhi needed to be educated on how many and what kind of government departments and ministries existed.
He pointed to an unstarred question dated February 2 by Mr. Gandhi on the issue which had a reply from Mr Singh’s junior minister Pratap Sarangi. “But in Puducherry he said there was no such department,” he added, further saying that he was raising a Constitutional issue.
