Madam
Speaker, very rarely we ask for a discussion under Adjournment Motion.
Normally, we do not ask for it. In the last Budget Session, the entire
Opposition demanded it considering the way the prices of essential commodities
were increasing day by day. During the last 26 days, inflation of food articles
never touched 20 per cent. But in the month of February, it touched 20 per cent,
and that is why, the entire Opposition demanded that there should be a
discussion under Adjournment Motion. We accepted your ruling. We agreed for a
discussion under Rule 193. We had three discussions during the Fifteenth Lok
Sabha under Rule 193. In last one year, I also referred to the earlier UPA
Government. 120 But during this period, the UPA Government has
not taken any concrete measures to contain and control the prices of140 (1) essential commodities. Considering
the way in which the Government has increased the prices of LPG and kerosene,
we used to160 extend outside
support to the Government. We did not allow the UPA Government to touch the
price of kerosene in the last five years.
Madam,
now the price of kerosene has been increased by Rs. 3 and the price of LPG has
been increased by Rs. 35. Moreover, the price of petrol has been deregulated.
The hon. Prime Minister has stated that it will not confine only to petrol but
the price of diesel will also be deregulated. That means, 240 the people of the country are being
pushed at the mercy of international market. The domestic price of petrol will
now depend on international price of petroleum products. Madam, your ruling on
our notice was that it should be of280
a definite nature because Rule 58 stipulates certain conditions. (2)
There
are mainly two conditions. Your consent, and not the Government’s consent, is
required for it. Madam, you have to take a decision on this matter. It should
be of a320 definite nature, of
urgent public importance, and of recent occurrence. The prices of petrol,
diesel, cooking gas, and kerosene have been increased very recently. It has its
cascading effects on other items. There are precedents of allowing discussion
under Adjournment360 Motion on
the issue of rising prices of essential commodities. I can cite many examples.
The
reason why we are asking for an Adjournment Motion is that we want a definite
reply from the Government as to why the Government has failed to contain and
control the rising prices of essential commodities. Millions of people are
forced to go420 to bed hungry,
whereas lakhs of tonnes of wheat and rice are rotting in the godowns. Rising
the prices of essential commodities, including that of petroleum products, was
the decision (3) of the Government. The Government’s contention is that
this is not the responsibility of the Central Government alone and that the
State Governments are also responsible for that. But where is480 the role of the State Governments in
increasing the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene? The State
Governments have no role to play in that. It is the sole responsibility of the
Central Government. You have to realize the condition of the people.
You
have seen the anger of the people on 5th July. The strike of 5th July was a
spontaneous reaction. Millions of people came out on the streets to protest
against the anti-people560
policies of this Government. The Government should realize the anger of the
people. As public representatives, we should be allowed to raise this issue
only under the Adjournment Motion. Of course, we have other forms of
discussion, like discussion under Rule 193 and600
Rule 184. But we are asking for a (4) discussion only under Adjournment
Motion because we want to censure this Government. Our motive is not to
destabilize this Government. Why are they afraid of the Adjournment Motion?
They have the majority.640
We
want to criticise this Government because of its anti-people policies. It is
the greatest failure of this Government. How is the inflation rate increasing?
The hon. Prime Minister is saying that we will have to wait up to December. The
hon. Minister of Finance said that within two months, the prices would be
moderated. 700 But there is no
effect on the prices of essential commodities. Madam, as there is no other
issue so urgent and so important than720
this, the entire Opposition is urging you to give your consent. Though it is
provided under the rules, yet we rarely exercise this power. That is why we
sincerely request you to give your consent today itself so that the discussion
under Adjournment Motion can be started immediately. (5)
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, recently800 the hon. Minister of Finance has said
that there is an increase in the growth rate in the economy. I do not think
that there is any increase in the growth rate in the economy. 840 There
is actually growth of840
inflation in the country which is taking place now. It is because of the wrong
policies followed by the present Government that 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 (6) 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. 960 The rate of inflation is also
increasing. Madam, the vehicle owners, especially lorry owners, have given980 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
to see that the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG are reduced. For
that only, we have given notice of an Adjournment Motion. Please consider our
request for adjourning the listed business and taking up this very important
issue. Madam, if we are allowed to discuss the subject, we shall do1080 it in a more detailed way. We are only
pleading (7) with the Presiding Officer to kindly accept the Adjournment
Motion. Madam, you are the only person who can allow or disallow it. Under the
rules, 1120 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 my
hon. colleagues to believe whether the hike in prices gives rise to an
extraordinary situation. I leave it to your judgment. 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 dealt1200
with in Parliament in an extraordinary way.
If
we believe that the 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,
the hike in prices (8) has given rise to1260
an extraordinary situation. As for the Parliamentary practice, we are entitled
to make use of the extraordinary Parliamentary method.1280 On the basis of this first argument,
the exalted Office of the Speaker should kindly consider it. 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 a 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 has the unique distinction of living with
price rise for too long a period. I am not going into that. The question is:
what1400 is the recent
occurrence? The recent (9) occurrence is deregulation of the price of
petrol. My hon. colleagues in the House may kindly remember that petroleum
products and petroleum market were protected by the successive Governments
including the Congress Government.1440
The petroleum market was never liberalized. This Government has taken the
extraordinary decision in taking forward the liberalization to the extent of
deregulating the petroleum price market. That is the recent occurrence.
Everybody
knows that the petroleum market is under speculation. Who decides the
international petroleum price? The international petroleum price is decided by
the speculators. The international petroleum price is decided by the
oil-producing countries. They decide it; they speculate; 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. The country is watching the
Members of Parliament. Let us believe that the (10) 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.1600 Let us not shout at each other.
