Baramulla MP Er Rashid on Monday delivered a wide-ranging and emotive speech in Parliament, congratulating young cricketer Aqib Nabi Dar from his parliamentary constituency for securing a ₹8.40 crore bid in the IPL auction.
He said Aqib’s achievement proves that despite 30 years of uncertainty, the talent of Kashmiri youth has neither faded nor diminished, sending a strong and positive message to aspiring youngsters across the region.
Turning to broader issues, Er Rashid said that while the government has the authority to rename places, Lord Ram belongs to everyone and should not be politicised. He remarked that if Ram were alive today, he would be deeply pained by the silencing of voices in Jammu and Kashmir and by the incarceration of thousands. “False claims of being Ram’s followers cannot coexist with injustice and suppression” he said, adding that Ram stood for truth, compassion and justice for all.
While condemning the act of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who pulled the veil of a woman during an official function, MP Er Rashid said that had those present truly been followers of Ram, they would not have remained mute spectators. He also criticised the selective silence over incidents involving women, stating that silence in the face of injustice against women contradicts the very values being claimed in Ram’s name. Emphasising that Ram is a unifying figure, Er Rashid urged leaders not to malign his legacy for political convenience.
Raising livelihood concerns, the Baramulla MP Er Rashid highlighted serious shortcomings in MGNREGA implementation, calling for stronger monitoring, simplified procedures, increased staffing at the grassroots level, higher annual wage rates and revision of the material component ratio. He urged the government to raise financial limits and ensure timely approvals so that rural workers are not forced to suffer due to bureaucratic delays.
