Mr Modi means business

The Congress is doing divisive and negative politics — that is why the Budget Session witnessed only four per cent productivity in the Lok Sabha and eight per cent in the Rajya Sabha...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, along with all BJP MPs, will observe a day- long fast on April 12 to protest against disruptions during the recentlyconcluded Budget Session of Parliament. The Lok Sabha lost nearly 128 hours due to disruptions and adjournments during the session. Only five bills were passed and another five introduced in the House.

Mr Modi will be doing his work from office while on fast and Mr Shah will be sitting in Hubli, Karnataka.

As usual, the Opposition is making a hue and cry of this and terming it as a political gimmick. It has now become a routine for the Opposition that whatever Mr Modi does is politics, which is wrong.

The Congress is doing divisive and negative politics — that is why the Budget Session witnessed only four per cent productivity in the Lok Sabha and eight per cent in the Rajya Sabha. If it was a gimmick, then why would BJP MPs forego their 23- day salary? If the Congress and other Opposition parties were worried about the Budget Session, even they would have surrendered their salaries.

The Congress is blaming the BJP for doing the same in the past, but this case is different. The UPA government at that time was not ready to discuss corruption and other issues. In our case, the NDA government was ready for a discussion, but the Opposition was not ready. In fact, they could not even unite to bring in a no- confidence motion on the floor of the House. This showed the seriousness of their motion, and it proved they only wanted to disrupt the House.

This was for the first time that the Finance Bill was passed without a discussion because of disruption. There were a lot of bills which were to be passed, but due to disruption in Parliament nothing could be done. They say the government is doing nothing and is trying to abolish SC/ ST Act, but the Opposition is not ready to discuss anything.

The country saw the seriousness of the Congress when they called a fast at Rajghat led by its president Rahul Gandhi against the atrocities towards dalits by the BJP, but their own Delhi president Ajay Maken, along with two other senior leaders, were caught on camera eating

chola bhaturas before the fast. After this incident, we call it a symbolic fast. They have made a mockery of fasting and showed their seriousness towards sensitive issues of the country.

We have seen in the past too that Rahul Gandhi preferred to stay out of the country or spread rumours and lies and do immature politics on sensitive matters. Mr Modi means business. He has instructed that MPs should also focus on about 20,844 villages where Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for over half the population.

All BJP MPs will spend a night in these villages while ministers will spend two nights in different parts of the country.

The Congress and other Opposition parties have to understand that they have to respect the temple of democracy: Parliament. They have to discuss issues on the floor of the House, otherwise people will ask them why didn’t they raise their points where they had to.