Issues ranging from setting up of a panel to define the jurisdiction of Executive and the Judiciary, plight of Punjab farmers and Indo-US defence pact were raised in the Rajya Sabha today.
Congress member Rajiv Shukla sought the formation of a commission to define the jurisdiction of Executive and the Judiciary, saying there were growing instances of "total non-cooperation" between them.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, he said "there are often complaints that Judiciary interferes in the work of the Executive and the Executive does not cooperate with the Judiciary. The environment is of total non-cooperation. The situation is such that the Chief Justice of India had to cry."
He said while the Executive sits on matters of infrastructural requirements and appointments in the Judiciary, the judges decide on executive matters.
"Government should set up a common forum and decide who is going to do what. This ambiguity will not work. I welcome Supreme Court's views on reforms in cricket, Medical Council of India, but thought should also be given to judicial reforms. When will this reform happen," he said.
"A commission should be formed which should define the jurisdiction of the Executive and the Judiciary," he demanded.
Quoting a House rule, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said that Shukla has taken the name of the CJI, to which Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said "I will examine."
Pratap Singh Bajwa and Ambika Soni of the Congress raised the issue of farmer suicides in Punjab.
Between January and March this year, 76 farmers have committed suicide in Punjab and the situation there is "very concerning", Soni said.
"Foodgrains and produce is lying in 90 per cent of the mandis across the state. There is no money for the farmers," she said, charging the state government with misusing the funds.
Bajwa said that farmers have around Rs 69,000 crore as loan, of which about Rs 54,000 is from institutions.
"The government should absorb their debt. A cap should also be put that farmer's land should not be confiscated. Also there is a need to check that private moneylenders do not charge interest rates more than that of the banks," he added.
K C Tyagi of JD(U) raised the issue of the recent India- US pact on cooperation in Defence, saying "this is a surrender to the US. India has surrendered its foreign policy.
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Shantaram Naik (Cong) said the government was not doing enough to recognise three tribes of Goa as Scheduled Caste in time, leading to the state not having a SC-reserved parliamentary seat in the delimintation exercise.
Defence Minister and former Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar countered, saying the three communities were recognised as SC in 2002 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and accordingly benefits extended.
Delimitation is an Election Commission exercise, he said.
D Raja (CPI) raised the issue of growing unrest in Puducherry University after local BJP and its students wing AVBP organised agitation against students magazine publishing a piece in soladarity with Rohith Vemula.
Subsequently, pressure was brought and magazine banned, he alleged, adding the Union HRD Ministry has sought some explanations.
He alleged that this is the repeat of similar tactics first used Hyderabad University and then JNU and sedition charges slapped on students.
"There is unrest and fear on Pudducherry University campus," he said demanding a clarification from the government on the issue.
I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu took strong exception to drawing parallel with JNU, saying government cannot tolerate slogans being raised in favour of terrorists like Afzal Guru.
"Government will not tolerate such activities," he said.
As the two sides sparred, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said Raja had raised issue of Puducherry University and Minister has every right to reply.
"Minister gave a political reply. Both (Raja's zero hour mention and Minister's reply) are on record," he added.
