AAP MP Sanjay Singh moves HC against Modi's 'absenteeism'
New Delhi, June 12 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh on Tuesday moved a PIL in the Delhi High Court against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "absenteeism" from Parliament.
The court has listed the matter for hearing on Wednesday.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed a day after estranged AAP MLA Kapil Mishra filed a similar petition against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
"In the last four years, Prime Minister Modi have spoken merely 19 times in Parliament. He spoke just once on a government bill, five times he introduced his ministers, six times he spoke on thanksgiving motion and twice he participated in special discussions," Singh said.
"This is the same person who has done as many as 800 rallies in the last four years across the country," he added.
He said that despite the opposition's repeated pleas to the Prime Minister to speak on critical issues like demonetisation, price rise, farmers' suicide, unemployment, bank scams, mob lynching, women safety, etc., the Prime Minister remains mum.
"Every 14 days he speaks on the radio in Mann Ki Baat, but does not speak in Parliament. Despite being present in his office inside Parliament House premises, he does not come to the House," the AAP MP said.
Singh, in his PIL, has requested the high court to direct Prime Minister Modi to regularly attend Parliament and reply to the questions raised by MPs.
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24,000 quintals of worm-infested jowar worth Rs 6 crore found in Ballari
Ballari: A shocking discovery has come to light in Ballari, where nearly 24,000 quintals of jowar, valued at Rs 6 crore, were reportedly found infested with worms in a godown managed by the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation (KSWC).
The contaminated grain was distributed to fair price shops in and around the district, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
The issue was exposed when Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa visited the KSWC's Unit-2 godown. During the inspection, he found that 48,000 bags of jowar, each weighing 50 kg, had become unsuitable for consumption due to worm infestation.
When Justice Veerappa, deputy registrar Aravind NV and others questioned about the condition of the grain, Sharavathi, the manager of the Ballari unit of KSWC, and Sakina, the deputy director of Food and Civil Supplies, explained that they obtained a certificate from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on March 29, 2024, that “jowar is fit” for consumption, TNIE added. The grain had subsequently been sent to Haveri and other districts for distribution through fair price shops.
However, Justice Veerappa pointed out that the jowar was not even fit for animals to consume. Expressing his displeasure, he stated that negligence by officials had resulted in the wastage of 48,000 bags of jowar.
Meanwhile, Sharavathi reportedly questioned Justice Veerappa's visit to the godown, asking him to provide photographic evidence linked to GPS for confirmation. This demand left him enraged, as he remarked, "This shows they have reached a stage of even questioning us."
Justice Veerappa called the situation "unfortunate" and urged the concerned minister to take immediate action against the officials involved. He emphasised that taxpayers' money had been used to procure the jowar, and its wastage was unacceptable. "We will definitely take action under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act," he vowed.
