Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien on Thursday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that PM Modi is trying to surpass Sarsanghchalak MS Golwalkar. Derek’s statement came a day after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar praised the RSS in the House.
TMC leader Derek said in a post on X, Modi is trying to surpass RSS’s Golwalkar, sharing a post of Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had also criticised the RSS. In an article shared on his personal blog, Derek said that seven out of 10 ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government come from the Sangh Parivar. Four out of 10 governors, former RSS pracharaks and volunteers are chief ministers. Eight out of 12 BJP-ruled states have deputy chief ministers. He also said that six out of 10 agreements to run Sainik schools have been given to RSS supporters or affiliate organisations.
RSS has distanced itself from freedom struggle: Derek
O’Brien further said that the RSS distanced itself from India’s freedom struggle and in the 1930s, when Mahatma Gandhi launched his Dandi March or Salt Satyagraha, RSS founder KB Hedgewar declared that the organisation would not participate. The RSS has been banned three times by the Indian government since independence.
During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Ramji Lal Suman of the Samajwadi Party said that RSS affiliation was the criterion for the government in selecting the head of the National Testing Agency (NTA). At this point, Dhankhar had ordered that the comments would not go on record.
MODI TRYING TO OUTDO RSS’S GOLWALKAR. Reupping the column I wrote a few months agohttps://t.co/Q4iaRAof1f https://t.co/g2YZx6Hzhh
—Derek O’Brien দেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 1, 2024
RSS has full constitutional right to participate in Vikas Yatra
Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar said, ‘I believe that RSS is an organisation which has full constitutional right to participate in the development journey of this country. The credibility of this organisation is impeccable, it consists of people who are committed to serving the country selflessly.’
Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge had defended Suman, saying that if a member is speaking within the rules and is not violating any rule, then he should not be stopped from making his statement. What Suman said was correct and what Dhankhar was doing was not right.
I will not allow targeting of an organisation rendering national service: Dhankhar
The Chairman said that Kharge has indicated that the Chairman can intervene if the rules are violated. He said, ‘I agree with this. The member was not violating the rules, he was trampling on the Constitution of India. I will not allow any member to target an organisation which is rendering national service. This is a violation of the Constitution.’ He further said that Suman’s statement is a violation of fundamental rights and the Constitution.
15 opposition parties want discussion on Home Ministry: Derek
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and said that 15 opposition parties want a discussion on the Home Ministry. He said, ‘On behalf of all of us, my appeal to the Chairman is that we should not shy away from discussing the Union Home Ministry, which is the top priority, because it is a council of states and many states have to deal with it. This demand was also raised by TMC in the BAC meeting of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The Rajya Sabha, which has a limited role in passing money bills including the Finance Bill, discusses the functioning of select ministries after the Budget, while the Lower House discusses demands for grants for select ministries. The Upper House is set to discuss four ministries, three of which have already been announced.
On Wednesday, a Rajya Sabha bulletin said the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) decided to discuss the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. On Thursday, it was announced that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy would be discussed and the Trinamool Congress would lead the debate.