Monsoon session: PM says ready with answers, offers to speak on Covid tomorrow

Pointing out that nearly 400 million people [40 crore] in the country have also become Bahubali [by taking the vaccine shot], the PM said he would meet the floor leaders at 4pm on Tuesday to apprise them of the pandemic situation in the country

The monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for a meaningful discussion on Covid-19. Briefing media outside Parliament, the PM said House members should raise hard questions, but in a peaceful atmosphere without pandemonium.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to address the media on the first day of the monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday, July 19. (PTI)

“I hope all of you have been vaccinated at least once. With a shot in your arm, you have become a Bahubali. That is the only way to fight Corona,” he said.

Pointing out that nearly 400 million people [40 crore] in the country have also become Bahubali [by taking the vaccine shot], the PM said he would meet the floor leaders at 4pm on Tuesday to apprise them of the pandemic situation in the country. “It can be discussed in Parliament too...the government is ready with answers for the people,” he said.

According to two leaders, the Opposition had sought a proper parliamentary debate on the subject.

The monsoon session comes against the backdrop of the second wave of the pandemic that saw an acute oxygen crisis in large parts of the country and is likely to see the Opposition confront the government over issues such as pandemic management, farmers’ protest, and fuel price hike.

In an all-party meeting on Sunday, PM Modi urged 31 political parties that “there should be meaningful discussion in both the Houses” and reminded them it’s “the responsibility of all to create such a conducive environment”. “Took part in the all-party meeting before the start of Parliament’s Monsoon Session. We look forward to a productive session where all issues can be debated as well as discussed in a constructive manner,” he tweeted later.

The session will end on August 13.