PM slams Opposition for stalling Parliament
Says parties 'discarded' by people are trying to 'suppress' the truth
As Parliament remained deadlocked over demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused Opposition parties “discarded” by people of trying to “suppress” the truth, drawing an angry retort from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati.
“Parliament is not being allowed to function for 20 days. We are ready for debate (on demonetisation). But we are not being allowed to present our viewpoint by those very parties that have been discarded by the electorate,” Modi said, even as the winter session is left with three more working days.
Mayawati hit back at the Prime Minister, saying it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. “By blaming Opposition parties, the Prime Minister is running away from government’s responsibility and answerability .... his remarks are totally wrong. Yeh ulta chor kotwal to dantey jaisa hai (it is like the pot calling the kettle black),” she said in a press release in Lucknow.
Mayawati said Modi was harping on the same tune and his speech at the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra in Bahraich, addressed through mobile phone from Lucknow, was no different.
Modi earlier said these (Opposition) parties never wanted to tread the path of honesty “but we will definitely win this fight against corruption”. He was addressing the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra here through a mobile phone from Lucknow, after the IAF helicopter carrying him failed to land due of poor visibility in Bahraich, which is close to the Terai region of Nepal. “They (Opposition) come to the well of the House... throw papers at the Speaker. We want to put forth the government’s viewpoint... but they are not allowing us to do so. In a way, they are trying to suppress the truth,” Modi rued.
On demonetisation, he said, “You must have seen that the government is after people who have stashed black money. The government is committed to empowering the poor. People are also taking pain to ensure the country moves on the path of development.”
The Prime Minister said senior bank officials have been nabbed during the crackdown on black money and added his government is “of the poor and for the poor and whosoever troubles the poor will not be spared.”
Attacking rival Samajwadi Party and the BSP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Modi said both parties were talking in a similar tone. As Parliament remained bogged in pandemonium over demonetisation, the Prime Minister alleged SP and BSP were facing “trouble” because of the note ban. “People of Uttar Pradesh know this very well, I need not elaborate,” he said.
Mayawati said when the prime minister of a country accuses the Opposition of not allowing him to speak in Parliament, it is a charge against him and not against the Opposition. The BSP chief was referring to Modi's remark that since he was not allowed to speak in Parliament by Opposition parties, he was compelled to speak outside on demonetisation.