INDIA Bloc to Corner Centre Over Various Issues in Parliament Session
New Delhi, Jul 12: The INDIA bloc will seek to corner the Centre in the upcoming Parliament session over issues like the Ram temple donation case and the NEET paper leak, while also resisting the BJP's alleged attempts to secure a two-thirds majority by engineering defections in opposition parties, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh said. The Monsoon Session of Parliament is scheduled from July 20 to August 13. In an interview to PTI on Sunday, the Buxar MP alleged that the BJP was pursuing a political strategy to weaken opposition parties in an attempt to secure the numbers required to push through its legislative agenda. "The BJP wants to achieve a two-thirds majority by breaking opposition parties across the country. The INDIA bloc will oppose that unitedly. We will raise every burning issue -- from the Ram Mandir donation theft and the paper leak to unemployment, corruption and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls," Singh said. Asked about the recent defections by opposition MPs and speculation of more to come, Singh said the concern extended across the INDIA bloc. "Earlier, defections happened within the framework of the law. Today, it appears even those safeguards are being ignored. Every opposition party is concerned because the ruling party is trying to weaken its rivals despite lacking the numbers on its own," he alleged. Singh alleged that the BJP's efforts to weaken the opposition were part of a broader attempt to undermine the Constitution. "The 2024 Lok Sabha election was fought on the issue of saving the Constitution. People used to ask how the Constitution could be weakened. Today, we are seeing it happen through the laws being framed and the actions being taken," he alleged. Referring to the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Singh alleged that the exercise was an attack on citizens' voting rights. "The right to vote is a democratic right. If genuine voters are deleted from the electoral rolls, governments can be changed through the voter list rather than through the ballot. Once you capture the voter list, you capture the election," he alleged. He claimed that if such practices continued, elections in India would resemble those in "China, Russia and North Korea, where almost all votes go to the ruling party, leaving only the illusion of democracy". Singh said the opposition would also strongly resist legislations such as ‘One Nation, One Election’, delimitation and other measures that, according to him, weaken the Constitution and democratic rights. "If the government brings legislations such as One Nation, One Election, delimitation or any other law that weakens the Constitution or curtails democratic rights, the INDIA bloc will oppose them both inside Parliament and on the streets," he said. Calling the alleged NEET paper leak a "national crisis", Singh expressed support for the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar led by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party. "I stand 100 per cent with the students and their movement. This is no longer just about an examination. It is a crisis of trust in India's education system. Students have suffered irreparable losses, families have exhausted their savings, and many young people have slipped into depression. It has become a national crisis," he said. "We have already organised protests in Bihar. When the Parliament convenes, we will stand with the students in Delhi as well. We will continue this movement until there is accountability and concrete action." Singh also accused the BJP of using administrative measures to target opposition leaders, citing the eviction of former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi from her official residence in Patna and the FIR registered against him in connection with the Piprakothi land dispute in East Champaran. "If the infrastructure required to run an opposition party is systematically taken away -- whether by evicting leaders from official residences, withdrawing security or filing criminal cases -- the intention is clearly to intimidate the opposition and silence those raising questions about the ruling party," he alleged. Referring to the FIR lodged against him in the Piprakothi case, Singh alleged it was aimed at preventing him from raising the issue of alleged illegal acquisition of farmers' land. He claimed he visited the area on July 3 after farmers alleged their land had been declared government property and construction work had begun despite their objections. Following his visit, an FIR was lodged against him. The RJD MP said he would move a breach of privilege notice before the Lok Sabha Speaker, alleging that the case was intended to intimidate him and prevent him from discharging his duties as an MP. He also alleged that farmers' lands in Bihar were being acquired in the name of development and industrial projects, and warned that "lakhs of acres" of agricultural land could be lost if the practice continued. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
