PTI
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 10
[dropcap]J[/dropcap]D-U on Wednesday questioned in the Rajya Sabha the decision to extend Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Northeast, wondering as to why it is being done there despite massive protests in the region.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, party chief Sharad Yadav also took an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying “AFSPA has been extended in northeast. All of us go there, wear all kinds of fancy dresses. Prime Ministers go there.”
While Manipur extended the status of ‘disturbed area’ on December 1 for another year under AFSPA, it has been extended for another six months in Tripura.He said that women held nude protests against it while activist Sharmila Irom is fasting for for years.
“How long will the country ignore Sharmila? Why this Act is being extended...The law of dictatorship. Nobody is listening to Sharmila. On a hunger strike of 10 days, Telangana is created and here this woman is on hunger strike for a decade. Women held nude protests against it (AFSPA).
“How much suffering and pain the women would have undergone that they held a nude protest,” Yadav said.
M P Achuthan (CPI) raised the issue of “slash” in the social sector spending alleging that the government is giving more concessions to the corporate sector at the cost of social spending.
He said government is cutting down on spending in sectors like education, health and rural development to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore, Rs 7,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore respectively.
Recalling that when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had presented his budget, he had said that he will be able to check deficit.
“The Finance Minister had said economy is growing fast. Sensex is soaring. There is no scope for any deficit in budgets. Now what has happened?” he asked.
