I
would like to draw the kind attention of the august House regarding the
need to give permission to send the boiled rice from Andhra Pradesh godowns to
other States and for export to other countries during the current year. The
demand of the boiled rice in Andhra Pradesh is less. The surplus boiled rice has
been lying in the godowns for the last 2 years. On the other hand, due to the
godowns filled to capacity with boiled rice, the other consumable items like
rice, wheat, pulses and other vegetables are lying outside the godowns and
going to waste. Already there is an acute shortage of godowns in Andhra
Pradesh. Due to this severe problem, the farmers and the consumers are
suffering a lot. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has already made a request to
the honourable Minister140 of
Agriculture to give necessary permission to send the boiled rice to the State
where there is a demand of160
boiled rice and to export to the countries where there is similar demand of
boiled rice. But this request is still pending with the concerned Ministry. I,
therefore, request the honourable Minister to intervene in the matter and give
permission to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for sending the boiled rice to
other States and exporting it to other countries to benefit both the farmers
and the consumers.
Madam, Speaker thank you very much
for giving me this opportunity to say a few words as to why we have given the
notice for the Adjournment Motion. Madam, recently the honourable Minister
of Finance has said that there is an increase in the growth rate in the
economy. I do not280 think
that there is any increase in the growth rate in the economy. There is actually
growth of inflation in the country which is taking place now. It is because of
the wrong policies followed by the present Government that320 there is an inflationary condition in
the economy. The prices of all the essential commodities have increased. Madam,
we have come here to express the views of the people. It is the highest forum.
We are the elected representatives of the people. We have to express the
feelings of the people. The people are feeling that prices are increasing day by
day. Even if you take the price of salt, it has increased ten times now. This
is the actual condition. Apart from that, the Government has recently increased
the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG. The vehicle owners, 420 especially lorry owners, have given the
notice for strike. This is definitely going to affect the whole economy.
Therefore, I would request the Government to reconsider rolling back the prices
of petrol, diesel and kerosene because it is affecting the common man. We have
to look after the common man. Therefore, it is the duty of the Government to480 see that the prices of petrol, diesel,
kerosene and LPG are reduced. For that only, we have given notice of
Adjournment Motion. Please consider our request for adjourning the listed
business and taking up this very important issue.
Madam,
at long last, we are not discussing the subject. If we are allowed to discuss
the subject, we shall do it in a more detailed way. We are only pleading with
the Presiding Officer to kindly accept the Adjournment Motion. Madam, you560 are the only person who can allow or
disallow it. Why should I plead that the honourable Speaker should accept it?
Under the rules, there are two conditions. One is the recent occurrence;
another is the emergent situation. Not only should it be recent but also it has
to be emergent. I leave it to you to believe whether the price rise gives rise
to an extraordinary situation. I leave it to your judgment. But let us assume640 that it is an emergent situation that
the country is facing, an extraordinary situation that the country is facing.
Parliamentary rules provide that if an extraordinary situation arises, there is
an extraordinary way to raise that in Parliament. It is in the Rule Book. The
extraordinary situation should be dealt with in Parliament in an extraordinary
way. If we believe that the700
price-rise situation is extraordinary, then the Opposition is entitled to take
recourse to the extraordinary Parliamentary method to raise that in the House.
First is the question of raising it in the House. Therefore, price rise has
given rise to an extraordinary situation. As for the Parliamentary practice, we
are entitled to make use of the extraordinary Parliamentary method. Secondly,
there have been innumerable precedents in this Parliament. We are here today.
We may not be here tomorrow but Parliament will live. There are precedents. On
a number of occasions, only on price rise, there had been a800 number of Adjournment Motions admitted
in the House by the exalted Office of the Speaker. Therefore, this is the
second consideration. The third consideration is the recent occurrence. I know
that the price rise is not a recent occurrence. This Government has840 the unique distinction of living with
price rise for too long a period. I am not going into that. The question is
what the recent occurrence is. The recent occurrence is deregulation of the
price of petrol. My honourable colleagues in the House may kindly remember that
petroleum product and petroleum market was protected by the successive
Governments including the Congress Government. The petroleum market was
protected. It was never liberalized. It was done by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru; it
was done by Shrimati Indira Gandhi; it was done by everybody. I repeat that the
petroleum market was never liberalized or deregulated. This Government has
taken the extraordinary decision in taking forward the liberalization to the
extent of deregulating960 the
petroleum price market. That is the recent occurrence.
What
is going to happen after deregulation? Everybody knows that the petroleum
market980 is under
speculation. Who decides the international petroleum price? The international
petroleum price is decided by the oil-producing countries. They exploit the
whole world. By deregulating the petroleum price, we make ourselves a victim of
international speculation. This is extraordinary; this is harmful; this is
anti-people. This is what we are protesting. Let us not shout at each other.
The country is watching the Members of Parliament. Let us believe that the
sufferings of the people are unmitigated. Whether they voted for the Congress,
whether they voted for the Left, whether they voted for the BJP, the people are
terribly under pressure. Let us express the distress of the people in the
House. I have a modification to make to what the honourable Member has said.
The Adjournment Motion is a Motion to disapprove the policy of the Government
with1120 regard to the price
of the petroleum products in the country. Let the people know that Parliament
is aware of the sufferings of the people. Parliament is expressing the distress
of the people and Parliament is distressed. Madam Speaker, I must submit that I
am here for a long time. This is not an issue on which we should interrupt each
other. Let us show our wisdom; let us show our respect; let us show our
concern. Let us not interrupt each other. The situation is too grim and the
House must be made aware of that. The Government must be put in the dock for
not being able to curb the price rise for years together. Therefore, we
strongly oppose the policy of the Government.
Madam,
it has been argued from the Treasury Benches that this is not a1260 recent occurrence. I would like to just
plead before you that the rise in the prices of kerosene as well1280 as LPG is certainly a case of recent
occurrence. Secondly, the decision to decontrol the petroleum products has been
taken recently, and this has not been informed to this august House. The honourable
Prime Minister, who is present here now, has already indicated that diesel
would be decontrolled. These are all recent occurrences and recent happenings.
The issue of rise in the prices of other essential commodities has been
agitating the Members of the Opposition. There are some supporting parties,
which have some reservations against the rise in the prices of kerosene and
LPG. They have not attended the meeting of the Group of Ministers held under
the Chairmanship of our esteemed Leader of this House and also the honourable1400 Finance Minister. They have their
reservations and they have not supported the rise in the prices of kerosene and
LPG. Madam, many instances have been given before you. It has also been pointed
out as to how the honourable Speaker1440
on the previous occasions had given the permission to discuss this issue under
the Adjournment Motion. Petrol has already been decontrolled, and the prospective
decontrol of diesel is a major policy issue, which has been taken by the
Government outside the House. Both the honourable Home Minister and the honourable
Minister of Human Resource Development are very learned and very good
parliamentarians. Academically also, they are very sound. Is it not desirable
on the part of the Government at present that they should bring up all these
issues for discussion in the House before declaring any decontrolling process?
Why should they not discuss all these policy matters inside the House? I could
not cite immediately but there have been precedents that on earlier occasions
such things were discussed in the House. What is the harm if such issues are
discussed and debated inside the House? They have the majority; they can pass
whatever they like. Their supporting parties are also1600 present here.
