Govt is attempting to use Parliament as notice board, says Shashi Tharoor

Ahead of the Monsoon session, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday alleged that the government is attempting to use Parliament as the notice board instead of a forum for taking accountability.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, "We want to use Parliament as the forum for the accountability of the government. And the government will try to use Parliament as the notice board. This is where the two differences are. We want to make sure government discusses the issues and not just give the information."

He said the government must take accountability for 'terrible mismanagement' regarding COVID management and vaccine policy.

"People are concerned about the COVID situation and terrible mismanagement by the government and the vaccination policy as people are lining up across the country at vaccination centres and there are not enough vaccines. This is a major issue at which the government has to be accountable," he stated.

Raising concerns about the economy, the Congress MP said, "The second crucial area is the economy as GDP has been plunging down and has not gone so low in 30 years and unemployment has never been so high."

He further questioned the central government over its perspective on Afghanistan.

"Where is that (Afghanistan) country going at the moment and what is India's perspective on that? Our taxpayers' USD 3 billion is invested in Afghanistan. Is that all going to go down the drain as the Taliban coming back to power? These are important questions," emphasized Shashi Tharoor.

The Congress MP further said the government needs to take the nation in confidence and reveal the status quo after Chinese aggression along LAC.

"China's refusal to disengage and withdraw to restore the status quo after 11 rounds of talks... The government needs to take the nation in confidence," added Tharoor.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament, 2021 will commence from Monday and continue till August 13.

The Opposition is gearing up to corner the BJP-led NDA government on a range of issues including price rise, increasing cost of diesel and petrol and issues related to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.