Will raise issues of SIR, paddy procurement, moisture content and Metro Rail project in Parliament: D.R. Baalu Interview
Tamil Nadu: MP D.R. Baalu has stated that issues of interest to Tamil Nadu, such as the Election Commission’s SIR work, the Samagra Shiksha Fund, increasing the moisture content for paddy procurement, and the Metro Rail project, will be raised in the parliamentary session.
As Parliament’s winter session is scheduled to begin on Monday, December 1st, an all-party meeting of Parliament members was held on Sunday to discuss the reconvening of the House in person. On behalf of the DMK, Lok Sabha DMK group leader T.R. Baalu and Rajya Sabha DMK group leader Trichy Siva participated in the meeting. After the meeting, T.R. Baalu told reporters:
We discussed very important issues in this meeting. All work has come to a standstill because panchayat and municipal employees are being deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, which is underway in 12 states, including Tamil Nadu.
The Election Commission lacks the enthusiasm to carry out SIR work and conduct elections properly. Because in the last Haryana elections, it was revealed that under the Brazilian model, voting rights are limited to 22 seats.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leaders from various parties have requested the Central Government to allow the purchase of paddy grown by Tamil Nadu farmers with a moisture content of 17 to 22 percent. The Central Government sent a team to study this, but the Central Government has not yet responded to the Tamil Nadu Government’s request. We will raise this issue in Parliament. The Central Government has not sent six months’ worth of funds to the states under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural 100-Day Work Program.
This scheme provides only 120 million man-days, while the Tamil Nadu Government is demanding 300 million man-days.
In addition, the Central Government has to provide the remaining ₹1,500 crore. While the bill to establish a university in the name of artist Karunanidhi was passed in the Legislative Assembly and sent to the Tamil Nadu Governor, who then forwarded it to the President, no action has been taken on it. Regarding this, members of the DMK and allied parties in Parliament will meet the President personally.
We are here. The Metro Rail project for Madurai and Coimbatore is very important. They have rejected it. We are going to raise this issue in Parliament. The Samagra Shiksha Project has a pending amount of ₹3,548 crore. All four of the central government’s labor laws are unnecessary. Tamil Nadu has passed a law for unorganized workers and it is working well. Instead, there is no need for central government laws.
If members of Parliament pass a resolution of concern, they will seek a personal response from the relevant minister. This has been going on for years. We have been raising this issue in all-party meetings, but it is not being implemented. We have raised all this in the all-party meeting in Parliament, D.R. Baalu said. Trichy Siva Interview
MP Trichy Siva said, “This Winter Session will last only 19 days, the longest since Parliament began in 1952. Excluding holidays and private members’ bills, 13 bills and one Finance Bill have been introduced in this session, which lasted only 12 days.
Because of this, many opposition parties and several Rajya Sabha political parties have raised issues. We keep saying, ‘Give us the opportunity for short-term debates and attention-grabbing motions.’
That’s all they’re asking for, but it’s to no avail. Despite a meeting that lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes, there has been no response or promise from the government.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister has never attended such all-party meetings. He is not given a chance to speak in the House. If we raise our voices, we are accused of disrupting the House proceedings.” Those who are watching this should decide, Trichy Siva said.
