The Hindu : Uproar over PM's remarks on providing jobs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003

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National

Uproar over PM's remarks on providing jobs

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB. 26. A stray remark by the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, held up the proceedings in the Lok Sabha for more than 30 minutes as irate Opposition MPs demanded that he withdraw the remark.

The incident took place during question hour, as the Opposition parties protested the Government's claims of providing one crore jobs a year.

Pointing out that his Government had provided about 70 lakh jobs in the year, he told the Opposition that raising a ruckus on the issue was not the answer to the problem.

"Humne bhi yeh dhanda kiya hai (I have also done this business),'' he said. A remark that had the Opposition on its feet, protesting.

Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) said it was a matter of great regret that the Prime Minister had made such an insensitive remark on the plight of workers. He expected the Prime Minister to tell the House how he planned to deal with such a serious problem, rather than treat the issue in such a "casual manner". How can he consider the espousal of the cause of the workers a dhanda, asked Mr. Chatterjee.

The CPI(M) leader pointed out that a large number of workers had gathered in the capital to protest their plight and he urged the Government to take urgent steps to solve their problem. Mr. Vajpayee refused to be drawn into the issue and it infuriated Opposition members.

The entire Opposition was on its feet protesting. MPs belonging to the Congress, the RJD, the SP and left parties joined hands to raise a tremendous din in the House, disrupting the proceedings.

Led by the RJD leader, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the Opposition backbenches raised slogans against the Government: "rozi roti de na sakey woh sarkar badalni hai (a Government that cannot provide work or food must be changed)''.

The Speaker, M.M. Joshi, tried to restore some order by assuring the members that since the issue was serious he was willing to suggest to the business advisory committee to set a date for a detailed discussion on the issue. But the Opposition continued to charge the Prime Minister with insensitivity towards the workers.

Stung by this remark, members on the treasury benches took strong objection to Dhananjay Kumar (BJP) saying that "we are not prepared to listen to such remarks''.

The former Prime Minister, Chandra Shekhar, wanted to know what the Government had done to fulfil its promise to create one crore jobs. He pointed out that in the khadi industry alone, about 40 lakhs had been rendered jobless.

Others who spoke, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ramjilal Suman (Samajwadi), P.R. Dasmunsi (Cong.), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), Ramvilas Paswan (Lok Janshakti), Ajay Chakraborty (CPI) and Basudeb Acharya (CPI-M), said the Government's economic policies were leading to a massive joblessness and causing penury and disenchantment among large sections of the people.

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