Arrogance of government responsible for parliamentary logjam: Tewari

Ludhiana: Senior National Spokesperson of the Congress, and Shri Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari today said that it was sheer arrogance of the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the centre which was responsible for the prolonged parliamentary logjam that threatens to washout almost an entire session. “Their arrogance is an insult to the parliamentary democracy”, he remarked.

Tewari also warned the government of India against procrastinating the farmers’ stir saying, it can have serious ramifications not just for Punjab, but the entire country.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said, the Congress and other opposition parties had simply been asking for a statement from the government whether it had bought the Pegasus software or not. “The government is simply running away from its responsibility as the company that has developed Pegasus software has made it clear that it sells the software to only governments and the government agencies”, he pointed out, while asserting that it was the responsibility of the government to clarify as it concerned the issue of privacy of so many people including journalists, judges and civil society.

The Anandpur Sahib MP regretted that the central government was also running away from the debate on the critical issue of farmers’ stir. He said the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had already raised the seriousness of the matter with the central government. He pointed out, Pakistan was trying to smuggle in weapons using drones and the situation can be exploited by the enemy country.

Tewari observed that the farmers’ stir has already become a national movement, but its implications can have serious implications in Punjab, which the government of India seems to be unwilling to accept. “Hope they realize it before it is too late”, he said.

Replying to a question on the issue of coordination between the state government and the Punjab Congress Committee, he said, there is no doubt that the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the PCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu will work together and ensure the return of the party to power in Punjab.

He lauded the achievements of the Capt Amarinder government, saying most of the promises made in the election manifesto had been fulfilled. He said some of the promises were yet to be fulfilled as the central government had been unfairly biased towards Punjab by not providing due compensation for the GST and also by stopping the Rural Development Fund.

About the 18 points raised by the Kharge committee, Tewari said, it was an old and longtime practice of the Congress party to review the progress of the work on election manifesto. He said the Chief Minister had already clarified that most of the things mentioned in the 18 points had already been completed while remaining were in the advanced stage of completion.

Tewari was accompanied by Pawan Dewan, Chairman Large Industrial Development Board and Gurmail Singh Pahalwan, Vice Chairman of the Rajput Bhalai Board, Punjab.