All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Assaduddin Owaisi on Friday rejected the Z category security offered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Taking the floor of the Lower House, Owaisi said, “I don’t fear death.
I don’t want Z category security, I reject it; make me an ‘A’ category citizen. I’ll not remain silent. Please do justice…charge them (shooters) with UAPA…appeal govt to end hate, radicalization.”
A day after shots were fired at the vehicle of Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in western Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has accorded him Z category security of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Owaisi’s security detail will entail six-eight armed commandoes while travelling apart from security at his residence, sources said.
Soon after Rajya Sabha proceedings commenced on Friday, DMK MPs began to protest against Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi returning to the Assembly Speaker a Bill that seeks exemption for the state from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). Congress, DMK and TMC leaders staged a walkout over the issue. Meanwhile, the government has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to disallow an MP’s provisionally accepted question (PAQ) in the Upper House on the ‘Position of India in Democracy Index’, seeking the reason why India slid to the 53rd position in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.
Govt moves to block MP’s query on fall in India democracy index rank
The government has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to disallow an MP’s provisionally accepted question (PAQ) in the Upper House on the ‘Position of India in Democracy Index’, seeking the reason why India slid to the 53rd position in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.
The question, scheduled for a response on February 10, had been asked by TMC MP Shanta Chhetri.
She wanted the Minister of External Affairs to cite the reasons for India’s slide to the 53rd position in the EIU Democracy Index, whether the government was aware that it reflected India in poor light, and whether the government had taken steps to improve India’s ranking.
Govt ‘never deliberately’ delayed appointments of judges: Rijiju
Rijiju also said he has been pushing the Supreme Court and High Court collegiums to give preferences to women and those from backward classes while recommending the names for appointments of judges.
“The government, on its own deliberately, never held up any appointment cases.
Government has to do due diligence while appointing judges because while appointing the judges we have to ensure that he is fit to be a judge in the court.
This is very important. And then, all the cases which then come to us has to follow a process. Some of the names are with the Collegium in the Supreme Court.
Some of the names are with government at different stages and this is a well-established process as per the memorandum of procedure.
And we don’t make any delay on our part just because we don’t want to make any kind of judgment on our own, but only to look after the issue of appointing only the qualified judges,” Rijiju said.
