NEW DELHI: BJP member Jagdambika Pal’s Demand that the Centre either bear the GST of 12 per cent on the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund or hike the annual amount of Rs 5 cr to negate the tax burden drew cross-party support in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Members belonging to different parties raised different issues during the Zero Hour with Tapir Gao of the BJP highlighting incidents of discrimination against people from northeastern states in the wake of the coronavirus scare.
He urged the Centre to issue a advisory to states against the alleged racial discrimination. Students from northeast states living in different parts of the country are being asked to vacate their rented accommodation, he said.
Karti Chidambaram of the Congress spoke about complaints that people being quarantined over coronavirus suspicion, have been kept in “substandard” facilities under unhygienic conditions.
He said many of these people, most of whom were quarantined following their return from abroad, have the wherewithal for self-isolation and should be allowed to do so.
With the Congress, including its former president Rahul Gandhi, attacking the government over its handling of the virus, Chidambaram said politics should not be played over the issue and the government should be complimented for its efforts.
Pal raised the issue of annual MPLAD fund of Rs 5 crore provided to every member of Parliament for development in their respective constituency.
He said the UP government has been paying the GST on a similar kind of fund for the state’s MLAs so that the entire amount they get is spent on development.
The Centre should also pay the GST or hike the MPLAD fund by Rs 60 lakh so that Rs 5 crore is entirely spent on development projects, he said, drawing support from many members.
Two National Conference MPs, Hasnain Masoodi and Akbar Lone, said the government should evacuate Indians who are still stranded in Iran, which has been hit hard by coronavirus.
BJP’s Jamyang T Namgyal, who represents Ladakh, said 836 Shia Muslims, most of whom are from his constituency, are still stuck in Iran and should be evacuated.
BJP’s Rajdeep Roy, who represents Silchar, raised the issue of non-tribals living in Meghalaya facing attacks from anti-CAA protesters and sought measures to prevent them. (AGENCIES)
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