Journalism of Courage
The Opposition’s protest over increasing fuel prices and demand for uniform paddy procurement policy Tuesday stalled the proceedings of the Lok Sabha.
The Lower House was adjourned following noisy protests by MPs who came down to the Well of the House. Speaker Om Birla tried to run Question Hour amidst the sloganeering, but had to adjourn proceedings for half an hour to meet again at 12 pm.
When the House met again at noon, the papers were laid, but Lok Sabha took up Zero Hour only for a few minutes before the Speaker adjourned proceedings again until 2 pm.
While members belonging to the Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party, Left parties and later Shiv Sena staged a protest over rising fuel prices, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs were agitated over the issue of paddy procurement.
Raising the matter during Zero House, TMC’s Asit Kumar Mal said: “People of this country are agitated very much at the price rise of daily commodities… it’s going beyond limits… where will it stop”. I appeal to the Prime Minister to kindly assure the countrymen to bring down the unbearable price rise.”
Separately, TRS MPs held placards demanding uniform procurement policy, and no injustice to growing states.
In the brief period before the House was adjourned the second time, BJP’s Sanghmitra Maurya urged the Centre to declare the birthday of Samrat Ashok as Samrat Ashok Jayanti, for “those who want to hold programmes in his honour on that day.” Maurya said she was making this demand as the central government has already rejected the idea of declaring it as a public holiday.
BJP’s Pallab Lochan Das, MP from Tezpur, wanted the government to set up Navodaya vidyalaya schools in every district of Assam.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah appealed to the government to increase the age limit for those appearing for the Jammu and Kashmir PSC examinations to the level of the candidates in the other states. He pointed out there has been unfairness to government job aspirants in J&K.
Firstly, he said, while candidates in other states get a 30 day notice for the exams, JKPSC gives only a seven day notice for aspirants to appear for the exams. “Though all states have an age limit of 37-42 to appear for the PSC exams, in J&K, its 32. How can we deny jobs to the youth in J&K. I request the age limit to increase as in other states,” he said.
In a 2021 notification, the age limit for candidates of JKPSC examination was reduced to 32 years, while the upper age limit for many other states is 42 years, Abdullah added.
