Opposition walkout on denial to get Haryana minister Sandeep's statement

Tribune News Service

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, March 17

The Opposition staged a walkout after being denied permission to seek Haryana minister Sandeep Singh’s statement on the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a coach, while the Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Abhay Chautala staged a walkout during the question hour over the government’s “dissatisfactory reply” on the outstanding agricultural loans towards farmers.

Agri loans: INLD not happy on govt’s reply

• The Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Abhay Chautala staged a walkout during the question hour over the government’s “dissatisfactory reply” on the outstanding agricultural loans towards farmers
• During the question hour, Chautala said the government had only provided information about the loans from the cooperative bank. “I had asked for information of loans from all banks put together, not just the cooperative bank,” he said

After proceedings of the budget session resumed, here today Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed, in the zero hour, sought to know the status of the minister Sandeep Singh’s case even as other Congress leaders joined the chorus. After a heated exchange between the Opposition benches and the Speaker, Gian Chand Gupta, the Opposition — the Congress and the INLD — staged a walkout to lodge their protest.

The Speaker expunged the entire exchange and the statements made by the Congress MLAs. During the question hour, Chautala, dissatisfied with the government’s response to his question on outstanding agricultural loans towards farmers, said the government had only provided information about the loans from the cooperative bank.

“I had asked for information of loans from all banks put together, not just the cooperative bank,” he said even as Haryana Cooperation Minister Banwari Lal said that an “agricultural loan of Rs 2,93,291.08 lakh was outstanding against 3,06,127 farmers as on March 31, 2022, in the state. The loan amount was given by the Haryana State Cooperative Apex Bank and Haryana State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.”

The Cooperation Minister also said that “a loan of Rs 69878.98 lakh was outstanding against 59354 farmers given by Haryana State Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank as on March 31, 2022”.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar intervened in the matter and explained that the Cooperation Minister could only give a reply pertaining to the cooperative banks. “If you want information of all outstanding loans, the question has to be to the Finance Minister,” he said.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda tried to reason with the treasury benches that all information was available with the lead bank and could have been provided. However, Chautala was asked to put a fresh question in the next session for any additional information.

In response to his supplementary questions about how many farmers had died against whose names loans were pending, the Chief Minister said those were separate questions and a reply could be sent to him personally in the next fortnight. A miffed Chautala staged a walkout.

Haryana Minister J P Dalal’s reply that strict action was being ensured against the construction of unauthorised buildings in green belts on scheduled roads and national highways did not go down well with Congress MLA BB Batra who raised the matter.

Dalal said over 1,700 unauthorised constructions had been detected and many had been already demolished. Batra challenged this, maintaining there were 2,400 such unauthorised buildings.

Dalal, in his reply, said 1,722 unauthorised constructions had been detected, of which 1,523 had been issued show-cause notice and 393 demolitions had already been carried out and 99 FIRs registered.

“Why do you want to know action by the government in the last three years and not the last 10 years? There was no action against such construction back then,” he said, taunting the Congress and evoking sharp reactions. Hooda stated that the minister was not replying to the specific question from the member who wanted to know a time-frame for the removal of such unauthorised buildings even as the minister stated that action was being taken.

Batra also sought to know under whose protection such construction “flourished” and whether officials responsible for the same would be booked.