NCP chief Sharad Pawar joins opposition in seeking Parl discussion on Pegasus, farm laws

Despite the central government and the Israeli firm NSO Group's (creator of Pegasus) clarification, the opposition parties have been standing firm and demanding to have a parliament discussion over the Pegasus row and the farmers' issue, in the process of which Parliament's normal functioning has been severely disrupted. Now, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has also joined the chorus of opposition demanding 'vigorous discussion' on Pegasus and farmers' issues. 

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met opposition leaders in Delhi and also issued a joint statement on his Twitter handle saying that the opposition leaders want a vigorous discussion on Pegasus and Farmers' issue in both the Houses of Parliament. 

Narrating the opposition's stance, Sharad Pawar wrote, "The opposition unequivocally is desirous of a discussion on the farmers' issues and agitations resulting from the three anti-farmer laws to succeed the discussion on Pegasus."

"Hence, the opposition leaders through a joint statement, have urged the government to uphold the parliamentary democracy and respond positively to the demand of discussing the matters in the Parliament," added Pawar. Read Here Sharad Pawar's tweet- 

Sharad Pawar on repelling farm laws

Notably, Sharad Pawar in July had rejected the idea to completely repel the farm laws which has been a continuous demand of the protesting farmers. 

While speaking at a private university program in Mumbai, Sharad Pawar said that parts of contention that were causing grievances to the farming community could be amended instead of the entire laws being scrapped. He also noted that details of the farm laws needed to be studied in detail first before arriving at a decision.

Pawar had said, "Instead of rejecting the entire bill, we can demand amendment in the part about which the farmers have an objection."

Sharad Pawar & Opposition's joint statement over Pegasus and Farm laws

Earlier, Congress shared the joint statement of opposition leaders including Sharad Pawar and 17 other leaders. In total, the joint statement was signed by 18 leaders including Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. In the joint statement, the opposition has presented its 'united' stance for a discussion on Pegasus in both the houses and also sought a response by Home Minister Amit Shah. 

Read Opposition's Joint Statement Here- 

Sharad Pawar meets Amit Shah 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and discussed issues related to the pricing of sugar and ethanol blending in petrol. Pawar was accompanied by National State Cooperative Sugar Factories Federation Chairman Jayprakash Dandegaonkar and NCP MP from Raigarh. After meeting Shah, Pawar told reporters that they discussed the current selling price of sugar, which is even lower than the cost of production, and he requested the government to look into it.

Parliament ruckus affects productivity

It may be noted here that the Rajya Sabha secretariat had recently stated that the House has lost 40 out of 50 working hours to date due to continual adjournments as the Opposition continues to protest against Pegasus allegations. "Of the total 50 working hours available, 39 hours 52 minutes have been lost due to disruptions. A mere one hour 38 minutes of Question Hour out of its nine dedicated hours," stated the Rajya Sabha secretariat. While the Centre has laid a statement on the Pegasus spyware issue, no debate has happened on the issue, as demanded by the Opposition. The Monsoon Session commenced on July 19, 2021, and will continue till August 13, 2021.

(Image Credits: Pixabay/ANI/@Pawarspeaks/Twitter)