Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the President’s speech in the Rajya Sabha was met with an unusual, marathon protest by the Opposition parties that ran parallel to his speech in the form of incessant chanting and sloganeering, and even forced the PM to take a pause on one occasion.
But Modi hit back. “The entire country is watching how one man is taking on so many people,” he said, referring to the joint protest against him.
A number of Opposition MPs came to the Well of the Rajya Sabha and started shouting slogans to demand that the PM replies to one of their key issues -- the stock crash of the Adani Group companies and its fallout on common investor.
Modi, however, continued his attack on the Opposition.
When the discussion on the President’s speech ended without any government reply on questions over Adani Group, the Opposition said it will continue to raise the issue. “This is one of the biggest issues and we want an immediate inquiry. The government can survive a session of parliament but every single political party opposing the BJP was united on this issue. The body language of BJP was defensive in this session,” Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said.
According to two Opposition leaders, it was a pre-decided move to disrupt the PM when he replied in the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition has a larger proportion of members than in the Lok Sabha, where Modi spoke a day earlier. The ruling NDA has 329 of 541, or 61% of the seats, in the Lower House. In the House of Elders, the ruling dispensation has about 46% of the seats.
{{/usCountry}}According to two Opposition leaders, it was a pre-decided move to disrupt the PM when he replied in the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition has a larger proportion of members than in the Lok Sabha, where Modi spoke a day earlier. The ruling NDA has 329 of 541, or 61% of the seats, in the Lower House. In the House of Elders, the ruling dispensation has about 46% of the seats.
{{/usCountry}}Addressing questions about the attempt to disrupt the PM’s speech, the Congress quickly pointed out that, in 2004, then newly elected prime minister Manmohan Singh could not reply to the debate on the President’s speech and he had to submit the written version of his speech in the House.
“In June 2004, new Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was NOT allowed by BJP to reply to the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address in the Lok Sabha. He was forced to lay it on the Table of the House. Today we heard long pravachans in the Rajya Sabha on decorum,” tweeted Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communication.
Another Congress leader said that, in the same year, Singh could not introduce his new council of ministers to the Lok Sabha as the BJP — then in the opposition — disrupted proceedings on the grounds that tainted leaders had been included in the council of ministers.
“Several MPs from opposition benches protested in the well for the entire duration of the PM’s speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address. The MPs from several opposition parties were demanding a probe in the Adani affairs,” said CPI MP P Santhosh Kumar.
Experts said the disruptions were uncalled for, and that people have the right to listen to the PM.
“In a democratic system, both treasury benches as well as Opposition have to discharge the functions in a responsible manner. Parliament and people have a right to hear the views of the PM,” former Lok Sabha secretary general P Sreedharan said. “Yesterday, we heard the views of the Leader of the Opposition. Today, people wanted to hear the PM and his speech ought to have been heard. The Opposition could have countered the PM’s arguments later.”