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Opposition ‘misused’ Parliament to hide its own political failures: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged parliamentarians from across the political divide to rise above party politics and work for the nation, underlining that Parliament is meant for “desh” (country) and not “dal” (party).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged parliamentarians from across the political divide to rise above party politics and work for the nation, underlining that Parliament is meant for “desh” (country) and not “dal” (party).
The PM also accused the Opposition of causing disruptions, dubbing it as “negative politics” and said, “...muzzling of the elected government and its Prime Minister has no place in democratic traditions.”
“For 2.5 hours, an attempt was made to suppress the voice of the Prime Minister. The people of the country have sent us for the country and not for the party. This Parliament is for the country, not for the party…” he said.
He was referring to the disruptions during his reply to the motion of thanks to the President’s address last month.
In his customary address at the start of the monsoon session that began on Monday, the PM said there is a need to “rise up above party politics and commit to the nation by making use of the dignified platform of Parliament...”and added, “..this House is not meant for political parties, this House is meant for the country. It is not meant to serve the Parliamentarians but 140 crore citizens of India.”
Urging lawmakers to set aside differences, he said till 2029, the only priority should be the country and the realisation of the dream to make India developed by 2047.
“The electorate has spoken, and now all political parties must fight together for the country for the next five years. Go to the battlefields of election in January 2029. Till then, the only priority should be the country, its poor, farmers, women and the youth”, he said.
The PM’s statement comes at a time when the Opposition is gearing to take on the government over a host of issues, from paper leaks and irregularities in the conduct of premier entrance examinations to the controversies over issues such as the decision to withdraw the order prohibiting government employees to participate in activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological fount of the BJP.
The Opposition also condemned the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand state governments for issuing directive to businesses and traders along the Kanwar Yatra routes to specify their names, an order that has now been stayed by the Supreme Court.
Referring to the Union Budget that will be presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, the PM said it will set the direction for the next five years and will lay a strong foundation for the dream of a Viksit Bharat or developed India by 2047.
“This is the budget session. We are moving ahead to gradually implement the guarantees that I have been giving to the countrymen. This budget is an important budget for Amrit Kaal. We have an opportunity of five years, today’s budget will also determine the direction of our work for those 5 years and this budget will lay a strong foundation for fulfilling our dream of a developed India by 2047, when we will be celebrating 100 years of independence,” he said.
Underscoring the need to allow proceedings without disruptions, he said, in the first session of Parliament, soon after the government was sworn in for the third time, “an undemocratic attempt to suppress the voice of the government which was voted by the majority of 140 crore countrymen to serve them” was made.
He said owing to the “negative approach of some political parties”, many parliamentarians could not get any opportunity to put forward their views and the issues pertaining to their constituencies.
“It is a matter of pride for every countryman that India is the fastest growing country among the countries with big economies. We are moving ahead and growing with a continuous growth rate of 8 % in the last 3 years. Today, the positive outlook, investment and performance in India are at the peak of opportunity. This in itself is an important milestone in India’s development journey,” the PM said.
“...many MPs did not get a chance to talk about their constituency and share their views in Parliament because of the negative politics of some parties that misused Parliament to hide their political failures,” he said.
