Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged that young and first-time Members of Parliament be given an opportunity to speak in Parliament.
In an address before the first day of Parliament's winter session on December 1, PM Modi shared the "biggest" worry he has had for a long time, sharing how young MPs don't get a chance to speak in the House.
Follow live updates on Parliament's winter session here.
"Young and first-time MPs are very sad because they are not getting to opportunity to display their capabilities and speak about their constituencies. They are trying to express their opinions to take part in the nations progress but are being stopped from doing so," PM Modi said.
PM Modi called for first-time MPs, irrespective of which party they are from, to be given a chance to speak in Parliament. In a veiled dig at the Opposition, PM Modi later said: "There are many places to do ‘drama’; there is space for that - but not here.”
Further taking a dig at the Opposition, PM Modi said that the Parliament has long been used “either for election warm-up or to vent frustration over defeat”.
{{/usCountry}}Further taking a dig at the Opposition, PM Modi said that the Parliament has long been used “either for election warm-up or to vent frustration over defeat”.
{{/usCountry}}“Now they should reconsider the game they have been playing for the last 10 years, which the country is not accepting. They should at least change their methods and their strategies. I am ready to give them tips on how they should perform, but at least do not ignore the rights of MPs,” PM Modi said. His remarks came weeks after the NDA reclaimed power in Bihar with a thumping majority, dealing a crushing blow to the Opposition INDIA bloc.
The winter session of Parliament begins on Monday, and will conclude on December 19.
Around 14 bills are expected to be tabled in this duration, and the Opposition is expected to rake up the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and alarming pollution levels in Delhi during the session.
The SIR exercise is currently underway in several states and union territories across the country, and the Opposition has long been against it.
Besides, pollution levels in Delhi have also been on the rise, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering between the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories for two weeks now.