Oppn not allowed to speak on Indo-US trade deal: Harsimrat

Bathinda: Former Union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has accused the NDA govt of stopping the opposition from speaking even on important issues in Parliament, which was against the "spirit of a vibrant democracy"."In the last 17 years of my parliamentary career, I never saw the way the House is being run. The opposition members are not allowed to speak even on the Presidential address. It is not only the treasury benches whom people chose to represent them, but even the members from the opposition reached there (Parliament) after people elected them to speak about their concerns and raise their voice against the wrong policies of the govt. If you do not allow them to speak, then why are people's money being spent on it (session)? The govt seems to want the opposition to speak what it wants, or you cannot speak, and the treasury benches could speak for any length of time. How can you gag the entire opposition? Everybody has the right to raise their points, and you pass the Bills by evicting opposition members," she said on Monday after Parliament remained disrupted over issues of allowing the opposition to speak. "I urge the govt and the Speaker to look into this (of not allowing the opposition to speak).""There is an important issue of the Indo-US trade deal, as the govt misled the country over it. The White House has made various claims that India agreed to eliminate tariffs on various items of agricultural produce, which include animal feed, wheat, maize, rice, ethanol, fresh fruit, nuts, and even apples. Now, genetically modified (GM) goods could enter India, where there are safeguards, as the govt allowed entry of the US products. With it, farmers will suffer. There is a big subsidy of 80-85% in the US; how could our farmers compete with them, as they are not even getting the MSP," said Harsimrat, adding the country could not progress by punishing its farmers."The economy into trillions of dollars is of what use if you snatch the livelihood of half of the population living in rural areas? What was the need to allow entry to those? No govt did this till now. It is an essential issue, and the govt should address it."She, however, clarified that she was not part of that opposition that was speaking about bringing a no-confidence motion against the Speaker. "My party will decide on it," she said.