Pandemonium in Parliament: No end in sight

The opposition now has got another issue to rock the Parliament and, perhaps, stage a walkout, level charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modifollowing Hindenburg ResearchHindenburg Research’s allegations against SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch.

The Congress and bloc INDIA may feel that they have great ammunition to trigger a political firestorm. Already, some Congress leaders have demanded constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the allegations. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday accused the Congress of disinformation campaign.

The SEBI has slammed Hindenburg Research’s allegations as “baseless” while the Adani group said it never had any commercial relations with the Sebi chief. Madhabi Puri Buch and her husband Dhaval Buch in a joint statement strongly denied the “baseless allegations and insinuations made in the report”. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai accused Hindenburg of “triggering panic” among investors for profit. “Hindenburg is not a journalist or an NGO but a short selling agent of shares. They release such reports, trigger panic among investors, make preparations to capitalise on that crisis scenario, and make thousands of crores of profit. This is what Hindenburg is all about.” When Hindenburg came out with its earlier report, the Supreme Court appointed a committee that found the allegations baseless, he pointed out. Well, certainly, the government should not ignore the report, and hold a thorough probe. But, it should also probe the real reason behind such frequent alarms. If the allegations are true, there should be action for sure. But at the same time a larger probe to see if there is any conspiracy angle which could negatively impact the growth of the country is also necessary.

The opposition should not hang on to this issue for narrow political gains. They should not resort to block the proceedings of Parliament. If that happens, all issues concerning people and the country would get drowned in the din and finally the Parliament will adjourn sine die, without any of the people’s issues getting duly discussed and solutions found. For example, a lot of hungama took place on how Vinesh Phogat missed a chance in wrestling just because she was overweight by 100 gms. This led to heated exchange of words in both Houses of Parliament and in Rajya Sabha the Chairman even felt offended and had left the house briefly. But beyond accusations, raising doubts, no party thought of going deep into the issue and discussed how our education system pushed out sports out of syllabus. The data is dismal. Many schools do not have designated physical trainers, and about 60 per cent of the schools do not have playgrounds thanks to land sharks that do not even leave lakes and tanks. So far, the encroachers have not occupied bridges as technically it is not possible. Schools won’t change and governments don’t force them. Even if parents opt for private educational institutions, they charge heavy fee for sports, but a majority of them do not have adequate facilities. They are only a shade better than government schools. Schools are not doing much to promote interest in sports among the children. They are more concerned about marks and ranks.

Such issues will not figure in Parliament as what matters for the opposition is mere political agenda – not the agenda of the people. People turn non-entities for five years once they cast votes. It is time the opposition stopped talking of body language, tone and tenor of the chair etc., and discuss real issues and see that we can compete and shine globally in all respects.