AAP raises foreign policy ‘failure’ and SIR concerns, seeks Budget session debate

  
Ahead of the Budget Session, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh attended an all-party meeting on Wednesday and alleged that the BJP government had completely failed on foreign policy.

He cited “atrocities” against Hindus in Bangladesh, repeated “insults” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by U.S. President Donald Trump, and China’s construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley.

AAP also demanded a discussion on these issues during the Budget Session of Parliament, as well as on air pollution and the Aravallis. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mr. Singh said, “Most importantly, I said that the government has completely failed on foreign policy.”

Mr. Singh alleged that Mr. Trump repeatedly “intimidates, threatens, and insults” Mr. Modi, yet the Prime Minister has remained silent. “This silence of the government on all these issues is creating serious concern within the country. That is why the Prime Minister should come to the House and give a statement on all these issues. The government must clearly state its position in Parliament,” he said.

Mr. Singh said he also raised the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and alleged that a scam was being carried out across the country in its name. “The way more than four crore votes have been cut in Uttar Pradesh in the name of SIR is completely wrong. When the State Election Commission itself stated that there are 17 crore voters, the government is not ready to explain where nearly four crore votes have disappeared,” he said.

The senior AAP leader also claimed that notices were being sent to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, former admirals, and even members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s family. “What kind of SIR is this? A ghost of SIR has been created across the country. Booth Level Officers are dying. In Jaipur, it is being said that Muslim votes should be deleted. This is not SIR, this is an electoral scam,” Mr. Singh said.