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This is an archive article published on February 11, 2022
Delhi Confidential: Payback, with interest
Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday took exception to some members from the Opposition having earlier pointed out why she was not in the House to hear their speech during the Budget discussion.
Sitharaman on Thursday said even as a Rajya Sabha member she was elected and if the Opposition members had a problem with Rajya Sabha members becoming ministers, they should not have sat in Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday took exception to some members from the Opposition having earlier pointed out why she was not in the House to hear their speech during the Budget discussion. DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran had earlier asked if it was because she was not elected. Sitharaman on Thursday said even as a Rajya Sabha member she was elected and if the Opposition members had a problem with Rajya Sabha members becoming ministers, they should not have sat in Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet. She, however, showered praise on Dayanidhi’s father Murasoli Maran as India’s commerce minister and said she had learnt from him.
Trump card: Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athavale, who was constantly speaking from behind Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha during her reply to the Budget debate – with cryptic “Congress kharab hai… Congress kharab hai” – was given a special opportunity by Speaker Om Birla to speak in the middle of Sitharaman’s reply. Athavale stood up and said, “Jinhone desh ke vikas ke liye de diya hai bahut dhan, unka naam hai Nirmala Sitharaman/ Desh ki majboot karni hai Narendra Modi ji ko jaan, de do Narendra Modi ji ki taraf dil se dhyan/ 2024 mein Narendra Modi ji ka aayega toofan.” When he could not rhyme anymore, he said, “Congress wala kat jaega, TMC wala hat jaega, baaki log bhatak jaaega.” After this, the Speaker told the Opposition benches that if they disturb the Finance Minister’s speech anymore, Athavale will answer.
Record viewers: The Karnataka High Court hearing in the case challenging the hijab ban in colleges was live-streamed on Youtube on Thursday. Since last year, proceedings in Court number 1, the Chief Justice’s court, are telecast live. Perhaps the first significant constitutional case to be live-telecast, a record number of viewers – more than 23,000 – watched the proceedings online.
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