Lokmat Parliamentary Awards 2023: Opposition Leaders Face High Number of Cases from ED, IT, with Low Proven Allegation Rate

The fifth edition of the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards ceremony, is currently underway in Delhi. Preceding the awards distribution, is the Lokmat National Conclave  from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the conclave, senior leaders from various political factions deliberated on the theme "Democracy entangled in religion and caste." Participating in the event, Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena UBT said, that govt agencies are being used to suppress the opposition's voice. She mentioned that while over 97% of cases are against opposition leaders, only 2 to 3% result in proven allegations.

Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked that 150 Members of Parliament were suspended from the parliament for the first time for questioning. She said that nowadays, anyone who speaks out is thrown into jail. The punishment for speaking against the government is that all opposition members are in jail. Prime Minister Modi had accused Ajit Pawar of a scam worth 70,000 crore rupees, but as soon as he joined the ruling party, opposition parties cleared him, she said. Priyanka Chaturvedi mentioned that during an election rally, Prime Minister Modi had called Ajit Pawar corrupt, but within 48 hours, he became the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Those leaving the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) and joining the Shinde camp are given funds from the 5 crore Mumbai Municipal Corporation fund. She said that the government talks about respecting women, but female wrestlers were left sitting. Regarding the farmer's agitation, she said that a BJP spokesperson had called them terrorists. 

The Lokmat Parliamentary Awards were instituted in 2017 to recognise and encourage the constructive work MPs do throughout the year. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar have been among the recipients of the award in the previous editions. The winners for this year's Lokmat Parliamentary Awards have been chosen across diverse categories. They include Pr. Ram Gopal Yadav from the Samajwadi Party in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Sasmith Patra from the Biju Janata Dal, Saroj Pandey from the BJP, and John Brittas from the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha winners also feature Dr. Shashi Tharoor, former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Shiromani Akali Dal, and Kunwar Danish Ali from BSP, recognized for their notable contributions in 2023.