No cabinet ministers answered during question hour in RS: Jairam

Congress flagged the issue of Cabinet ministers not responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday claiming it to be first such incident in 70 years.

No cabinet ministers answered during question hour in RS: Jairam
Congress Chief whip Jairam Ramesh. Source: IANS

New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Congress flagged the issue of Cabinet ministers not responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday claiming it to be first such incident in 70 years.

Congress Chief whip Jairam Ramesh said: "For the first time in 70 years of the House, today no Cabinet Minister answered questions during Question Hour."

"The Ministers of State were pathetic" in reading out replies already circulated and chanting Modi Chalisa!" he added.

Responding to a question by BJP MP (nominated) Rakesh Sinha on the Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that their ideology is inspired by the international groups and sometimes there are oppositions raised by these groups when the actions are taken against them.

He also said that these organisations also come forward to help them when some ultras are arrested.

"Left wing Extremism is a dangerous ideology, those who raise Anti-India slogans can never be part of Indian culture that is constructive," Rai said.

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a messiah of the poor, Rai said that the LWE ideology is on a decrease under his leadership. "Efforts are being taken to arrest the urban naxal ideology. Left Wing Extremists want to bring dictatorship at gun point," the Minister said.

On Tuesday, after the PM's speech, Jairam Ramesh had said: "Some elevate debates in Parliament, but even by his pathetic standards of decency, dignity, sobriety of language and fidelity to facts, the PM plumbed new depths in the Rajya Sabha today, forcing an Opposition walkout."