Trinamool Congress: Current situation in country a ‘Super Emergency’

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien on Wednesday, June 26 said that a state of “Super Emergency”, in which the Constitution and organs of state are under threat, was currently prevailing in the country under the rule of Narendra Modi.

O’Brien said the way the Modi Government was bypassing long-standing Parliamentary procedure was a threat to the Legislature. O’Brien said the Lok Sabha in the Budget Session 2018 sat for only 21% of its allotted time and the Rajya Sabha only 27% of its allotted time. The Lok Sabha spent just 14 minutes on government bills and the Rajya Sabha just 3 minutes. Quoting PRS Legislative Research, O’Brien said this was the least productive budget session since 2000. Importantly, he noted that bills are not being considered by Parliamentary standing committees before being passed.

"The Executive itself is under threat,” said O’Brien, expressing shock that Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj was trolled and abused for ensuring that two Indian citizens are rightfully given their passports irrespective of their religion.

O’Brien also noted that questions have been raised about the independent functioning of the judiciary under the Narendra Modi dispensation. He also raised the issue of journalists being threatened in Kashmir to tow the BJP line or face teh fate of slain editor Shujaat Bukhari.

Trinamool’s strong criticism of Modi Government on federalism and state-centre relations

Derek O’Brien, leader of Trinamool in the Rajya Sabha, said if the railway budget is checked, it will be found that state governments ruled by BJP including Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh got a budget increase of 170%, 30%, 20% and 20% respectively. However, state government ruled by opposition including Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal got minus -40%, minus 25% and minus 14%.

He said the Narendra Modi Govt is using the CBI for political vendetta against Opposition leaders who are criticising and questioning the government and termed CBI the best ‘alliance partner’ for the BJP. O’Brien said the West Bengal BJP chief had even threatened the West Bengal government and Trinamool Congress Party workers with ‘Encounter’.

O’Brien said for all these reasons, "Just as a government was voted out of power after the 1975 Emergency, this government will also be thrown out of power for the Super Emergency. of power after the 1975 Emergency, this government will also be thrown out of power for the Super Emergency. Trinamool Congress has a role to play and we will play the role. We are ready to play the role of a squirrel in a garden, quietly going about its work. To end this Super Emergency, you don’t need the political parties to come together. That will happen. People of India have come together to defeat the BJP. India will win.”