Updated: September 19, 2020 1:22:36 am
Lok Sabha: MoS Finance Anurag Thakur and Congressional MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary on the fifth day of the monsoon session of Parliament. (Source: YouTube Screengrab / Lok Sabha TV)
The Lok Sabha was suspended four times on Friday amid uproar over comments made by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur about the Gandhi family and the charitable trusts they run.
During a discussion after the introduction of a bill dealing with certain relaxations granted to the PM CARES Fund, Thakur said that the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in 1948 by Jawaharlal Nehru to benefit a family. He also said that the Gandhi family had misled the nation by setting up various charitable trusts that were used for “personal gain.”
The Chamber was finally able to resume only in the evening, after President Om Birla suggested that Thakur address the members. In a statement, Thakur said: “I did not intend to hurt anyone. It hurts if my words hurt someone. “
The war of words began shortly after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the tax bill and other laws, relaxation of certain provisions, 2020. Congress and the Trinamool Congress opposed, saying the bill The law sought to bring the PM CARES Fund under the same laws that govern the PMNRF.
To this, Thakur said: “In 1948, then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ordered the establishment of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, but it has not yet been registered. How was it registered in the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act)? How did you get tax exemption when not even the Trust is registered? You made that Trust for a single family, the Gandhi family. This fund (PM CARES) is for the 138 million people of this country. The PMNRF had Sonia Gandhi and Nehru as members. This should be discussed in detail. The nation must see your true face. “
Congress immediately protested, raising slogans and demanding an apology from Thakur for his charges against Nehru and Sonia. The party’s leader in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, replied that the PM CARES Fund had received donations from Chinese companies such as TikTok. Trinamool Congress joined after Treasury banks made some comments related to West Bengal.
Given the commotion, the Chamber rose first at around 3.50 p.m. M. For half an hour, then until 5 p.m. M. After sitting about 10 minutes in the middle. As it sat down at 5 pm, there were protests again and the Chamber rose immediately until 5:30 pm, and subsequently until 6 pm.
Earlier, asking why the names of Nehru and Sonia were being introduced, Chowdhury said, “Is this an introductory debate (of Bill)?… Check out our speech. Is there something non-parliamentary in that? Nirmala Sitharaman also spoke kindly … They are disrespecting Nehruji. What kinds of things are they saying taking the name Sonia Gandhi? “
Noting that the PM CARES Fund had accepted donations from Chinese companies, the congressional leader said: “How did TikTok pay 500 million rupees? How did Chinese companies donate one after another? This should be investigated … “
Gaurav Gogoi, recently appointed Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, said: “We have not come here to be subjected to non-parliamentary language … The minister must apologize.”
Justifying his comments, Thakur replied: “The names of the entire Nehru-Gandhi family should be taken. By deceiving the nation, he has obtained personal benefits, erecting different charitable funds. We will expose this. The Gandhi family has played with the country ”.
After some comments from the Treasury banks against Trinamool, party deputy Kalyan Banerjee accused the president of shutting up opposition members but allowing BJP members to say what they wanted.
Birla said this was unfair and always gave everyone a chance to speak. She also threatened that if members continued to create a ruckus and stood up to speak without being allowed to do so, she would kick them out of the House as it interfered with Covid security protocols.
Returning to the House alone at night, the president said he never intended to hurt anyone. Noting that Parliament was meeting in extraordinary conditions and that the eyes of the country were on it, he appealed to the deputies to maintain the dignity of the House. “Unfounded accusations and counter-accusations must be avoided … You are all the same as me. All I have done is simply keep the House in order, ”he said, while the deputies applauded.
Congressional MPs Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari were among those who opposed the introduction of the bill earlier. Tharoor said: “The bill seeks to amend the CGST Act, which will allow the government to extend the time for actions under the Act in events such as a pandemic with retroactive effect. This will allow the government to retrospectively validate its failure and delay the disbursement to the states ”.
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