New Delhi: Lok Sabha has been adjourned after protests over MoS Finance Anurag Thakur’s remark on Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi family. Anurag Thakur alleged that there was a link between Nehru-Gandhi family with PM National Relief Fund and objected to the manner in which the fund had been created by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The ruckus happened during the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020. After speaking for sometime, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that her deputy Anurag Singh Thakur will talk about PM-CARES Fund.
“Some Opposition members raised questions over PM Cares Fund. Opposing PM Cares Fund, just for the sake of it, is like they opposed EVMs and then lost many elections. They subsequently termed Jan Dhan, demonetization, Triple Talaq and GST as bad. They find defect in everything, truth is their intention is bad,” he said.
PM-CARES Fund is a public charitable trust which has been set up for the people of India. You (Opposition) created trusts for Gandhi family. Nehru & Sonia Gandhi have been members of PM’s National Relief Fund. There should be a debate on this: Union Minister Anurag Thakur
— ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2020
“When you come to discussion for PM CARES, please do read the PM National Relief Fund. In 1948, then PM Nehruji ordered the creation of Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund like a royal order. From 1948 till today, it was not registered. How did it get FCRA clearance? The trust is not registered. PM CARES is a registered public charitable trust. This is for 130 crore people, you created a trust for the Gandhi family. Nehru, Sonia Gandhi were members of the PM National Relief Fund. This should be discussed,” he said.
Soon after Thakur’s remark, Congress and Trinamool Congress members raised a strong protest and demanded an apology from Thakur.
Speaker Om Birla urged members to allow the House to function normally but the din continued and he adjourned it for about half-an-hour.
When the House reassembled, opposition members continued their protest and raised slogans in support of their demand for an apology from Thakur.
Rama Devi, who was in the chair, adjourned it till 5 pm.
