Dear Prime Minister,             I write this letter to you because you seem to be concerned about the poor and the marginalized, and you have mentioned about giving high priority to access of drinking water and eradication of illiteracy among others as your primary concerns. I write to you because AI thinks you will honestly try to take Gandhi’s dream of India forward. It has been deferred too long.             Gandhi...

For two days the nation remained virtually glued to the television watching the live telecast of the proceedings in the Lok Sabha on the Vajpayee govt. motion of confidence. Transparency in functioning and providing he people a sense of participation are important features of a vibrant democracy. The people of India had an excellent opportunity to see the caliber and behaviors of their representatives in parliament. The undue and unbecoming display...

The world today, whether it likes it or not, is in the era of the lone super power of pox Americana of sorts when all other countries are equal and only the united states is more equal than the others. America insists that the cold war is over. But the habits of decades are hard to erase, and in its dealings with other countries, the united states more often than not...

Mr. Chairman, I rise to welcome the Bill. It is timely and I am happy to see That the govt. has moved in the direction of undoing serious, undemocratic public wrongs that had been done as a result of the amendment of the commissions of inquiry act in the year 1986. Even at that time, I had spoken in the same vein striking a note of caution.             The commissions of...

Social tensions are inevitable if excruciating poverty of the masses is juxtaposed with the conspicuous affluence of a few. I have been repeating this at every meeting, and not here alone. Jawahar Lal Nehru used to tell me that the greatest danger to the Indian economy would be the concentration of wealth in a few hands. In those days, 20 years ago, I was the president of the congress and when...

I was submitting that at present our country’s foreign exchange reserve is Rs. 5000 crore only which is not sufficient to meet even two months import bill of our country. When we fail trod gear up our economy, the real value of our currency falls. As per my estimate the value of one rupee has now come down to 8 paisa only/ The Hon’ble finance minister has laid special stress in...

I wanted to yield once for all. Then there is the question of right o work and our hon’ble friend who initiated the discussion at a very highly dignified level pointed out that this right to work is a fraud, I am sure on both sides people will realize that when we say that right to work should be introduced as Fundamental right in part III of the Constitution, it is...

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, from July 1991 up to Feb. 1993, within a matter of one and a half years they have presented three budgets. Every time the freight rates have gone up by more than 35 per cent which makes all the difference for the country’s economy and the common man’s plight. This causes escalation in the cost of the goods. There were 16 items under special consideration of which...