TMC's Abhishek hits back at PM, says oppn seeking accountability on SIR isn’t 'drama'
Diamond Harbour (PTI): TMC Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge that the opposition was turning Parliament into a stage for "drama", asserting that demanding accountability on the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise and other governance issues cannot be dismissed as theatrics.
Banerjee's remarks came hours after the Prime Minister, speaking to reporters outside Parliament ahead of the winter session, said the House was "not a place for drama but for delivery", describing the opposition's conduct as a "warm-up arena" for elections, and even offering to give them "tips to bring positivity in politics".
Responding sharply, the TMC MP said the opposition had only sought a formal debate on the SIR exercise, which he claimed had already led to "around 40 deaths, including BLOs", because of alleged procedural lapses.
He asserted that the opposition was working well within the legal framework in choosing to ask questions to the government.
"What the opposition is asking for is a debate on SIR. Is that drama? If raising people's voice is drama, then the people will give them a befitting reply in the next election," the TMC national general secretary said at the launch of the second phase of free health camps – Sebaashray – at his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency.
Blaming the Election Commission for what he called an "unplanned and glitch-ridden" voter list revision process, Banerjee said BLOs were neither trained nor equipped to handle the workload.
"The EC didn't train BLOs. It didn't fix the glitches. The voter roll isn't updated. Forty people have died due to an unplanned SIR. Where is the accountability from the government?" he asked.
Banerjee accused the BJP of evading responsibility in various sectors. He also questioned demonetisation and alleged border breaches by foreign saboteurs in the past to stress on the opposition’s need to raise questions in Parliament.
"People stood in queues during demonetisation 10 years back. The black money flow has increased. Where is the accountability? Blasts are happening, and terrorists are entering the country. Again, where is the accountability?" he said.
Banerjee insisted that the opposition was functioning "within the legal framework" by questioning the government and the poll panel.
"Just because they have won a few states doesn't mean they are not answerable to the people. The same people will remove them from power if they continue on this path of non-accountability,” the Diamond Harbour MP said.
"We are raising questions on Pahalgam, on the 40 deaths linked to SIR, and the BJP thinks this is drama? We are not against SIR, but against the method and the way it is being executed," Banerjee said.
Questioning the EC’s decision to not hold SIR in the northeastern states, he alleged that the poll panel’s “intentions” behind conducting the exercise were contrary to its claims.
“If the idea is to identify illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators in this country and deport them, then why is SIR only being conducted in Bengal and not in Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya, which also share borders with Bangladesh?” he asked.
“The BJP claims that the SIR will identify one crore Rohingyas living in Bengal. But it doesn’t share borders with Myanmar. The states which do – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur – are not having SIR. Had the EC been serious about identifying foreigners, it would have started the SIR exercise from these states as they provide the entry points to outsiders. And when we seek discussion on these matters, the PM says the opposition is doing drama!” Banerjee said.
The TMC MP also provided year-on-year figures from 2017-18 to 2023-24 fiscals to claim that the Centre collected over Rs 6.5 lakh crore from Bengal in the last seven years through direct and indirect taxes.
“Despite collecting the sum, it has withheld Bengal's financial entitlements of Rs 2 lakh crore. The EC has recently enhanced the remuneration of BLOs from Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000 and passed on the expenditure burden to the shoulders of the state.
“As my party’s general secretary, I urge the EC to write to the Centre to release the money it has deprived the state’s poor people of. I promise that the government will enhance the BLO remuneration to Rs 60,000 if the commission even writes that letter, irrespective of its outcome,” Banerjee declared.
Stressing that accountability "cannot be optional in a democracy", the senior TMC leader said the opposition would continue pressing for answers inside and outside Parliament.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
