Modi attacks Opp. over disorder in Parliament
Amid the continuing standoff between his government and a now-united Opposition over the Pegasus snooping and the controversial farm laws, leading to frequent disruptions and unruly scenes in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday once again attacked the Opposition parties for their conduct, including the tearing of papers and making “derogatory” remarks on the way that bills have been passed recently, as he accused them of insulting both the legislature and the Constitution. The Prime Minister once again reiterated the government’s stand that it was in favour of constructive and rich debates.
Speaking at a meeting of the BJP parliamentary
party, the PM expressed anger at the conduct of some Opposition members and noted that those who tore up papers and threw it around have remained unrepentant, which shows their arrogance.
Briefing the media later, parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi
said the PM was also angry over a tweet by a TMC member on the way the government was passing bills amid the ruckus, though the PM did not name the MP in question.
While a TMC member in Rajya Sabha had torn the statement of IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on the
Pegasus spyware issue, several Opposition members had torn up papers in Lok Sabha and thrown them in the air and towards the Chair. Trinamul Congress MP Derek O’Brien had tweeted: “In the first 10 days, Modi-Shah rushed through and passed 12 Bills at an average time of UNDER SEVEN MINUTES per Bill. Passing legislation or making papri chaat!”
Quoting the PM, minister of state V. Muraleedharan said such comments were “derogatory” towards parliamentary procedures and the esteem of the elected representatives and the conduct of the Opposition members was an “insult” to Parliament as well as the Constitution.
The Prime Minister, Mr Joshi said, accused the Opposition of having an “undemocratic” attitude and also said they were not keen on meaningful debates.
Asserting that his government would leave no stone unturned to fulfil its commitment to the people, Mr Modi said bills do not belong to the government but were aimed at the people’s welfare.
The BJP parliamentary party also hailed Mr Modi at the meeting on the government’s decision to provide reservations to OBCs and EWS in the all-India quota in the medical entrance test NEET.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the rise in the GST revenue in the month of July, with a collection of Rs 1.16 lakh crore, and expressed his confidence about the state of economy.
Finance minister Nirmala Sithraman also spoke in detail about the country’s economic condition and asserted that a recovery had gathered pace despite the Covid-19 second wave. India’s foreign currency reserves were at an all-time high while the GST collections also rose significantly last month, she added.