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Unhappy with questions on GDP calculation, job data, BJP MPs block Parl Committee report

Published

6 years ago

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BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi

BJP MPs have blocked the adoption of the Parliament’s Estimates Committee report that questioned the mechanism for calculating the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the job data, said media reports.

This is the third report of a Standing Committee to be blocked due to protests by BJP members, noted a NDTV report.

The parliamentary panel headed by veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, in a draft report prepared by it, has questioned the mechanism for calculating the country’s GDP and asserted that the methodology needs review to reflect the ground reality, reported The Hindu.

The report also questions the reliability of employment data collected by the government, reported NDTV.

The report, which was tabled in the Estimates Committee meeting on Thursday, created a rift among the BJP parliamentarians of the panel, as Joshi was in favour of adopting the report, while other party members led by MP Nishikant Dubey strongly opposed it, The Hindu said.

“Detailed examination reveals several inadequacies in the GDP measuring mechanism, most noticeable being depletion of natural resources not being taken into consideration,” the report stated.

It also said there is no mechanism to assess whether increase in GDP leads to happiness among the people.

The committee concluded that the mechanism developed for GDP estimation needs review and it should reflect the ground reality.

Countering the claims in the report, Dubey said India has adopted and followed all globally accepted parameters for calculating the GDP, and in an era of globalisation, the country cannot isolate itself by developing an indigenous method to calculate the index.

He further said if the country does so, it will severely impact flow of foreign investment and the country’s ratings by international agencies.

About calculation of unemployment in the country, the report claimed annual employment and unemployment surveys have their own limitations, and said it is disturbing to note that the most precise period for which complete data on employment is available is 2011-12.

As per sources, the draft report of the Estimates Committee on “measuring growth, employment and income” asks the government on how it can address the critical issue of unemployment if it does not have “real time” and “holistic” data.

It points out that the latest National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) survey on employment was carried on in 2011. The Labour Bureau started carrying out quarterly employment surveys only since April 2016. And that too covers non-farm eight major sectors and it does not reflect the work force engaged in establishments having less than 10 workers which constitute 98% of the establishments, the report notes.

The report also criticises the sample size of the NSSO survey which had only 600 sample villages. The report has criticised the approach as “casual and shoddy”.

Noting these constraints, the draft report said: “With the aforesaid scenario whereby up-to-date realistic position about the employment at a particular time on various important parameters is not available, the committee fails to understand how the critical issue of unemployment in the country can be addressed.”

In the committee’s meeting held on Thursday, BJP members led by Jharkhand MP Nishikant Dubey and Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri first protested, claiming that they had not got adequate time to read the report.

Joshi countered saying that the report was circulated on October 3 and each member was given multiple reminders to read it.

Dubey, according to sources, said that evidence of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has not been adequately recorded.

Joshi, according to sources, snapped at Dubey, asking him to read the report closely before making such charges.

A few BJP members reportedly pressed for a dissent note, to which Joshi did not agree. He reportedly told both the BJP MPs that financial committees like the estimates committee, according to Parliamentary conventions, do not carry any notes of dissent as they are based on the data provided by the government itself. So what the labour ministry submits is sacrosanct.

Significantly, said a report in The Wire, even while the meeting was going on, BJP leader Vijay Goel, who is not a member of the committee, was seen outside and communicating with the party MPs. Sources say that Goel was sent as an emissary by BJP president Amit Shah.

A Reserve Bank of India-backed research report stated that during the first two years of the Modi administration, employment in 27 sectors fell by 0.2% and 0.1% respectively, said The Wire report. This happened even though GDP growth was at a decent 7.4% and 8.2% in 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively. This resulted in a loss of nearly 10 lakh jobs, according to the research.

Independent estimates of job situation, such as by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), also have not painted a flattering picture, the report pointed out.

In the last year, Modi has given a number of interviews to friendly publications, wherein he has stated that “jobs were being created but the data did not reflect them”. He has often claimed that work such as “pakoda frying” are productive jobs but are not reflected in organised sector data.

Significantly, the government has shown little respect for parliamentary checks and balances. Last month, it removed the BJP’s own BC Khanduri as the chairman of the defence committee, replacing him with Kalraj Mishra, after the committee gave a report which made adverse remarks on India’s defence preparedness.

BJP members also derailed a report of the standing committee on external affairs chaired by congress MP, Shashi Tharoor which had taken the government to task over the Doklam stand-off with China.

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Sambhal Court issues notice to Rahul Gandhi over fight against Indian state comment

Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by a Sambhal court over his statement that the opposition is fighting the Indian state, not just BJP or RSS.

Published

1 hour ago

on

March 21, 2025

By

Rahul Gandhi addresses public at party headquarters

The District Judge Court of Sambhal has issued a notice to Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, seeking his response or appearance on April 4, in connection with a complaint filed over his controversial remark that opposition parties were not merely fighting the BJP or RSS, but the “Indian state” itself.

Statement triggers legal action

The legal proceedings stem from a statement made by Rahul Gandhi on January 15, during the inauguration of the Congress party’s new headquarters ‘Indira Bhawan’. In his address, Gandhi said, “Our ideology, like the RSS ideology, is thousands of years old, and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.”

He also commented on the status of Indian institutions and media, suggesting that both were no longer functioning freely or fairly.

Revision petition leads to court summons

Advocate Sachin Goyal, representing complainant Simran Gupta, explained that a case was initially filed in the special MP/MLA court seeking registration of an FIR against Gandhi. However, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) dismissed the plea citing lack of jurisdiction.

Following this, a revision petition was filed, after which the Sambhal District Judge accepted the complaint and issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi. The court has asked him to either appear in person or file a formal response on or before April 4.

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AAP leader Satyendar Jain faces fresh Rs 7 crore CCTV fraud allegations

Delhi ACB has filed a fresh corruption case against Satyendar Jain, alleging he took a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive penalties in a Rs 571 crore CCTV project. AAP denies all charges.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 19, 2025

By

AAP Minister Satyendar Jain

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) finds itself mired in yet another controversy as former Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain faces fresh corruption allegations in connection with a Rs 571 crore CCTV installation project. The Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against Jain, accusing him of taking a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive a Rs 16 crore penalty imposed due to project delays.

According to the ACB’s statement released on Wednesday, the case has been registered under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The allegations stem from the installation of over one lakh CCTV cameras across Delhi’s 70 Assembly segments, with a second order of an additional 1.4 lakh cameras allegedly placed after the initial delay.

The case is reportedly based on the testimony of an official from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), who detailed alleged irregularities and “shoddy” installations. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi has criticized AAP, accusing the party of suppressing the investigation when it was in power.

BJP Attacks AAP Over Corruption Allegations

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has slammed AAP over the fresh charges against Jain. He alleged that the tender for the Rs 571 crore project was awarded to BEL, and Jain took a Rs 7 crore bribe to waive off financial penalties. “BJP had complained then also… but AAP tried to suppress the investigation. No matter how much you tried to hide corruption, you have to answer now,” Sachdeva stated.

Neither AAP nor Satyendar Jain has responded to the allegations yet.

More Legal Trouble for AAP Leaders

This fresh case adds to the mounting legal troubles for top AAP leaders. Satyendar Jain, who was granted bail in October last year after spending two years in custody in a money laundering case, is also facing prosecution in a disproportionate assets case.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia are also battling corruption charges. Kejriwal has been accused of misusing public funds for promotional posters, while Sisodia is embroiled in an alleged Rs 2,000 crore scam linked to classroom construction in Delhi government schools. Jain is also named in this case.

The controversial Delhi liquor excise policy scam also remains under investigation. Last month, a Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) report stated that the state suffered a Rs 2,002 crore loss due to policy irregularities.

AAP Denies Charges, Calls It a Political Vendetta

AAP has dismissed all allegations, claiming they are politically motivated and orchestrated by the BJP to tarnish its image. The party has also denied accusations that Kejriwal misused Rs 45 crore of taxpayers’ money for renovating his official residence.

Despite its denials, AAP suffered a massive defeat in the recent Delhi Assembly elections, where the BJP secured 48 of the 70 seats, marking a significant power shift in the capital after nearly three decades.

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CM Hemant Soren assures Sarhul celebrations amid tribal protests over flyover

Tribal groups in Jharkhand protest against a flyover near a sacred site, demanding its removal. CM Hemant Soren assures that Sarhul will be celebrated with traditional fervor.

Published

2 days ago

on

March 19, 2025

By

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has assured that the state’s biggest tribal festival, ‘Sarhul’, will be celebrated with traditional fervor despite ongoing protests by tribal outfits against an under-construction flyover near a Sarna Sthal, a sacred religious site.

Responding to concerns raised in the Jharkhand Assembly, BJP legislator CP Singh questioned the government over the construction of the flyover in Siram Toli, Ranchi, which tribal communities claim is obstructing access to their religious site. Singh urged the government to resolve the issue before the festival to avoid tensions.

In response, CM Soren acknowledged the issue and assured the people that Sarhul celebrations would not be affected.

Tribal protest intensifies in Ranchi

The tribal outfits staged a 5-km-long “funeral procession” of tribal legislators in Ranchi on Monday as a mark of protest against the flyover’s construction near the Sarna Sthal. The agitators torched effigies of 28 tribal legislators and demanded the removal of the flyover ramp, arguing that frequent traffic movement could disturb the sanctity of the religious site.

In a warning to the state government, the protestors have also called for a Ranchi bandh on March 22 if their demands are not met.

The 2.34-km-long elevated road, which includes a 132-meter section over a railway line, aims to ease traffic congestion by connecting Siram Toli to Mecon. However, its construction has triggered resistance from local tribal groups.

Ruckus in Jharkhand assembly over Giridih violence

Apart from the Sarna Sthal protest, the Jharkhand Assembly also witnessed an uproar over a clash during a Holi procession in Giridih district on March 14. BJP legislators stormed into the well of the House, demanding a special discussion on the state’s law and order situation.

Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi accused the government of appeasement politics, alleging that the administration remained a mute spectator during the violence. Several people were injured, and shops and vehicles were torched in the incident.

Marandi claimed that police action unfairly targeted one community, stating that while 80 people were booked and 22 arrested, the real culprits were not held accountable. He demanded that FIRs be registered against those responsible for inciting the violence.

The political tension continues to escalate as protests over tribal rights and law enforcement dominate the state’s discourse.

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