Calling for discipline not autocratic: Modi
New Delhi, Sep 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a veiled attack on the opposition for disrupting Parliament proceedings and dubbing presiding officers who tried to enforce discipline as "autocrats". Modi praised Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu for ensuring "discipline" in the House.
"Naidu is a disciplinarian, but the situation in the country is such that it has become easy to call discipline undemocratic. If someone even tries to be a disciplinarian, he has to face the music. He is called an autocrat and they open the dictionary…," said Modi.
Modi said the disruptions in the Rajya Sabha enabled Naidu to display his administrative expertise.
The Prime Minister was speaking after unveiling "Moving On... Moving Forward: A Year In Office" -- a book marking the completion of Naidu's one year as the Vice President and the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
The book details Naidu's mission of engagement on key issues with various stakeholders across the country and it's alignment with the mission of a new India in the making.
The event witnessed former Prime Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh sharing the dais with Modi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Praising the former BJP President's administrative expertise, Modi said, "Naidu himself follows discipline which he preaches. Discipline is in his nature.
"If a House functions properly, then nobody pays attention to who is presiding. But when it does not function as per the norms, everybody focuses on the Chairperson; what that person's qualities are and how that person maintains discipline in the House.
"This year, people got the opportunity to witness how Naidu presides over the House. Had the House functioned properly this wouldn't have been possible," said Modi making a veiled attack on the opposition protests over various issues in Parliament.
Naidu's tenure as the Rajya Sabha Chairman has witnessed continuous disruptions especially by the Opposition over a host of issues including Rafale fighter jet deal and lynching incidents.
Modi then went on to praise Naidu for his "diligence" to carry out the work that has been assigned to him whether as as a union minister or a BJP politician.
"Which ever duty he had, he performed with utmost diligence and adapted into that role with ease. He always provides visionary leadership whenever he gets a responsibility. He gets the best experts to ensure justice is done to the work assigned."
The Prime Minister also lauded Naidu for always being focused on the plight of farmers and the development of agriculture.
"Atalji wanted to give Venkaiah Naiduji a ministry. Venkaiahji said, 'I want to be the minister for rural development'. He is a farmer at heart. He is dedicated towards the welfare of farmers and agriculture."
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu also expressed his disappointment over the working of Parliament.
"I'm a little unhappy that Parliament is not functioning as it should. On all other counts, things are moving, World Bank, ADB, World Economic Forum, whatever ratings they are giving is heartening. All Indians should be proud of whatever is happening on economic front," he said.
The Rajya Sabha Chairman sought cooperation from the Opposition to run the House smoothly.
Speaking on the occasion, Manmohan Singh, too heaped praises on Naidu for bringing political and administrative experience to the office of the Vice President and opined that "the best is yet to come".
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US vetoes Palestinian bid to gain statehood at the United Nations
United Nations, Apr 19: The US has vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council on the latest Palestinian bid to be granted full membership of the United Nations, an outcome lauded by Israel but criticised by Palestine as “unfair, immoral, and unjustified".
The 15-nation Council voted on a draft resolution Thursday that would have recommended to the 193-member UN General Assembly “that the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations.”
The resolution got 12 votes in its favour, with Switzerland and the UK abstaining and the US casting its veto.
To be adopted, the draft resolution required at least nine Council members voting in its favour, with no vetoes by any of its five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Palestinian attempts for recognition as a full member state began in 2011. Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a status that was granted in November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.
This status allows Palestine to participate in proceedings of the world body but it cannot vote on resolutions. The only other non-member Observer State at the UN is the Holy See, representing the Vatican.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the US for vetoing what he called a “shameful proposal.”
“The proposal to recognise a Palestinian state, more than 6 months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and after the sexual crimes and other atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists was a reward for terrorism”, Katz wrote on X, after the US veto.
US Ambassador Robert Wood, Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, said in the explanation of the vote at the Security Council meeting on Palestinian membership that Washington continues to strongly support a two-state solution.
“It remains the US view that the most expeditious path toward statehood for the Palestinian people is through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the support of the United States and other partners,” he said.
“This vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties.”
Wood said there are “unresolved questions” as to whether Palestine meets the criteria to be considered a State.
“We have long called on the Palestinian Authority to undertake necessary reforms to help establish the attributes of readiness for statehood and note that Hamas - a terrorist organisation - is currently exerting power and influence in Gaza, an integral part of the state envisioned in this resolution,” he said, adding that “For these reasons, the United States voted “no” on this Security Council resolution.”
Wood noted that since the October 7 attacks last year against Israel by Hamas, US President Joe Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed.
"There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live in peace and with dignity in a state of their own. And there is no other path that leads to regional integration between Israel and all its Arab neighbours, including Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, sharply criticised the US veto, saying that it was “unfair, immoral, and unjustified, and defies the will of the international community, which strongly supports the State of Palestine obtaining full membership in the United Nations.”
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said that “our right to self-determination has never once been subject to bargaining or negotiation.
“Our right to self-determination is a natural right, a historic right, a legal right. A right to live in our homeland Palestine as an independent state that is free and that is sovereign. Our right to self-determination is inalienable...,” he said.
Getting emotional and choking up as he made the remarks, Mansour said that a majority of the Council members “have risen to the level of this historic moment” and have stood “on the side of justice, freedom and hope.”
He asserted that Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN is an “investment in peace.”
On April 2, 2024, Palestine again sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting that its application for full UN membership be considered again.
For a State to be granted full UN membership, its application must be approved both by the Security Council and the General Assembly, where a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required for the State to be admitted as a full member.
Earlier in the day, Guterres, in his remarks to a Council meeting on the Middle East, warned that the region is on a “knife edge”.
“Recent escalations make it even more important to support good-faith efforts to find lasting peace between Israel and a fully independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” Guterres said.
“Failure to make progress towards a two-state solution will only increase volatility and risk for hundreds of millions of people across the region, who will continue to live under the constant threat of violence,” he said.
The UN, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that between October 7 last year and April 17, at least 33,899 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 76,664 Palestinians injured. Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 33 children, have been killed in Israel, the vast majority on October 7.
As of April 17, Israeli authorities estimate that 133 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza, including fatalities whose bodies are withheld.
