Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told his party colleagues to “expose” the Congress-led opposition for disrupting Parliament in, what he said, was their attempt to derail the government’s efforts to discuss important issues such as the Covid pandemic, and to explain to people that the opposition hadn’t contributed to fighting the pandemic, people familiar with the matter said.
“The PM told the MPs that the onus is on us to fight the challenge as the opposition is only interested in disruption and how even after the house is adjourned they resort to abusing,” a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker said after Modi addressed the party’s parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.
This is the second time since the monsoon session began on July 19 that Modi has blamed the opposition for disruptions and asked BJP lawmakers to publicise it. The first week was a near-complete wash-out, mostly over protests over the Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws, but the government managed to get Lok Sabha to pass two bills amid the din.
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh blamed the government for not taking up important issues. He tweeted, “The entire Opposition is united. Parliament isn’t a forum to pass Govt Bills without debate and discussion. This is happening because Govt is just not ready to discuss urgent public issues like Pegasus and repeal of the black farm laws, despite repeated notices.”
A second BJP functionary said Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told MPs that India is on track to begin vaccination for children. “He said the vaccination drive for children will roll out by September. He also said that India was among the countries that were at the forefront of the war against the pandemic; India sanctioned ₹900 crore to undertake research for vaccines,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}A second BJP functionary said Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told MPs that India is on track to begin vaccination for children. “He said the vaccination drive for children will roll out by September. He also said that India was among the countries that were at the forefront of the war against the pandemic; India sanctioned ₹900 crore to undertake research for vaccines,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}BJP president JP Nadda also said that over the course of the next one month, 750 million people will be administered Covid-19 vaccines, said the second person. India has so far vaccinated over 345 million people.
PM’s Independence Day plan
PM Modi also urged all MPs to think of innovative programmes to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence. He has instructed them to ensure that at least two people from the party spend 75 hours in 75 villages of each assembly constituency to reach out to the people.
“He told the MPs to visualise the India that they want to see in 2047,” said a third functionary.