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Opposition MPs causing disruptions in Parliament must introspect: Modi
Budget session of Parliament is an opportunity for those members who frequently disrupted proceedings to introspect on their conduct, PM Modi said on Wednesday.
The Budget session of Parliament is an opportunity for those members who frequently disrupted proceedings to introspect on their conduct and express remorse by contributing to nation-building, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he hurled criticism at the Opposition over the acrimonious Winter session marked by the suspension of an unprecedented number of members.
In his customary remarks ahead of the Budget session of Parliament on Wednesday morning, Modi also hailed the nation’s progress and inclusive development, noting that the first session held in the new Parliament building cleared a landmark bill setting aside seats for women in national and state legislatures.
READ | Rajya Sabha chairman revokes suspension of 11 Oppn MPs ahead of Budget Session
"Those that are compulsive disruptors of Parliament, those who compulsively disrobe parliamentary values (loktantrik mulyon ka cheerharan karte hain), these honourable MPs should introspect about what they did in the last 10 years. They should perhaps ask 100 people in their areas, no one would remember the names of the disruptors,” Modi said. “Even their own constituents won’t know what they did. Those who showed concern for people’s issues would have done democracy a good turn and will be remembered by the people. But those who only disrupted, no one will remember them.”
“This session is one for them to repent and leave a good footprint. Please do not let the opportunity go, and give the country something good,” he added.
Modi’s comments came against the backdrop of the Winter session of Parliament, the most acrimonious in recent memory, which was marked by the expulsion of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra in the Lok Sabha, the shocking breach of security in the Lower House that saw two men vaulting onto the floor and spray coloured smoke, and the suspension of 146 Opposition members amid uproar over the incursion. The suspensions were revoked before the Budget session commenced but bitterness underlined deepening fault lines between the government and the Opposition that upended parliamentary business and saw bills being passed by the House with little discussion in the last session.
READ | Opposition vs government over suspension of 15 MPs amid Lok Sabha security row
Modi exhorted members to change course.
“Perform the best, give the benefit of your thoughts to the House in the interest of the country and fill the country with enthusiasm and excitement,” he said. Their words will become a part of history, he added.
Modi said he believed that a big section of the country’s democracy-loving people will appreciate the conduct of those MPs who used their wisdom and talent even though they might have been critical in their views. But no one would remember people with negativity, he said.
The Budget session, which began on Wednesday, is also the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha, just months ahead of general elections scheduled this summer.
Modi greeted journalists with “Ram Ram” (an invocation of Lord Ram) and noted that there was a tradition of not presenting a full budget before the polls.
“We will follow the same tradition and present a full-fledged budget after a new government is formed,” he said, adding that finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will outline measures in the interim budget that will indicate the direction of the nation’s progress.
Modi also expressed confidence about the people’s support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance.
“I am of the firm belief that the country is moving forward and touching new heights of progress... the country is experiencing all-round and all-inclusive development. This journey will go on continuously with people’s blessings,” he said.
The Republic Day parade saw the showcase of women power and the first session of Parliament in its new building recorded the passage of the women’s reservation bill, he said.
The Congress hit back at Modi and said it is the BJP that indulged in “disrobing” of Parliament and posed a threat to democracy in the country.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said data from the past two decades show that most interruptions in Parliament occurred during the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014) when the BJP was the principal opposition party. “So it is the BJP which has indulged in ‘cheerharan’ (disrobing) of Parliament, and not the Opposition. Democracy is in danger: Courtesy BJP,” he said.
Kharge alleged that the “autocratic” BJP government was corroding parliamentary democracy, violating the Constitution and “strangulating” the voice of the opposition.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said Modi should look back and introspect on his participation in Parliamentary discourse over the last 10 years. “I hope that PM Modi will look back and reflect on his participation in discussions and debates in Parliament over the last 10 years. How many times did he come to Parliament? Be it issues such as the Manipur unrest, Adani (Hindenburg reports), or Pegasus (snooping case), he remained silent and neither did he think it right to come to Parliament,” she told ANI.
