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Journalism of Courage
The Opposition on Thursday took the Government to task for the ‘‘hollow list’’ of achievements provided by it in President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament. Leader of Opposition Manmohan Singh said: ‘‘The Government has taken the economy to the precarious pre-1991 stage in terms of fiscal and revenue deficit.’’ He said, the actual expenditure in 2001-02 was Rs. 57,000 crore against the allocation of Rs. 62,000 crore.
While the President’s address talked about avoiding a repeat of the communal violence in Gujarat, Singh attacked the BJP for exploiting the communally sensitive Ayodhya issue and encouraging the VHP and the Bajrang Dal for creating a charged environment in UP, Rajasthan, MP and Gujarat.
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Govt to ‘test’ Opp unity
NEW DELHI: In a move that could be a test of the Opposition unity, the Government has decided to hold an all-party meeting on the contentious Women’s Reservation Bill to reach a consensus on the matter. The Bill proposes to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and state legislators.
The Government has timed it at a time when the Opposition has regrouped after spending a while in the wilderness since the well-attended dinner at the resident of the Congress president Sonia Gandhi on February 16.
With diverse opinions in the parties on the matter, the Congress faces the daunting task of getting a consensus. The Opposition may hold a meeting on February 25 over the issue.
Opp walkout over POTA
NEW DELHI: The Opposition staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha on Thursday to register its protest against a dissatisfactory Government response to its concern over the misuse of POTA in Uttar Pradesh and other states.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Ramji Lal Suman of the Samajwadi Party accused the Mayawati government in UP of ‘‘large-scale misuse’’ of the legislation and demanded its review.
After members cited instances of people being booked under POTA without any justification, Minister of State for Home Harin Pathak said the Government would seek detailed information from the states regarding the arrests made under POTA.
Dissatisfied with the reply, the entire Opposition, with the exception of the AIADMK, trooped out of the House.
Earlier, Speaker Manohar Joshi rejected SP’s notice of adjournment motion on the ‘‘misuse of POTA’’ by UP and some other state governments.
