Govt has money for Central Vista project but not for poor: Digvijaya Singh

Questioning the construction of a new Parliament building, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh said during Covid-19, the Centre has funds for the mega project in Delhi, but not for the poor

Questioning the logic behind the construction of a new Parliament building, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh on Monday said during the COVID-19 crisis, the Centre has funds for the mega project in Delhi, but not for the poor.

When the Congress demands that the central government provide minimum income guarantee to the poor, it talks about scarcity of money, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

I am unable to understand the logic behind construction of a new Parliament building. We will oppose this project in totality, Singh told reporters here.

The Central Vista project, announced in September last year, envisages a new triangular Parliament building, with seating capacity for 900 to 1,200 MPs, that is to be constructed by August 2022 when the country will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day.

The foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Central Vista project is slated on December 10.

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Modi government raised the issue of scarcity of funds. Leave aside other things, it has even stopped funds under the MPLAD scheme for two years," the Congress veteran said.

The Congress has demanded implementation of the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay), or minimum income scheme, for the poor, but the government says it has no money for the programme, he said.

However, they have a lot of funds for giving loans to corporate houses and for construction of the new Parliament building, Singh said.

Extending support to the "Bharat Bandh" called by farmers on Tuesday to oppose the Centre's new agriculture laws, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about doubling cultivators' income by 2022, but the fact is crops like wheat, rice and corn are being sold below their MSP.

Referring to the alleged hurriedness in trial for a COVID-19 vaccine, Singh warned people should not be treated as guinea pigs.

India cannot become a laboratory for testing any vaccine, he said.

Singh said Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who got himself inoculated during a COVID-19 vaccine trial, has been infected with the coronavirus, but now explanations are being given for it.

Expressing surprise over the BJP's performance in the just held bypolls to 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, he said, Because of anger among people, candidates who were unable to enter villages, have won with margins of 50,000 to 70,000 votes."

The ruling party won 19 of the 28 assembly seats.

Singh once again expressed his lack of faith in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).