New Delhi: Renewing his attack on the opposition for protests and disruption of Parliament over the Pegasus controversy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said acts such as tearing papers and making “derogatory” remarks on the waybills have been passed are an insult to the legislature and the Constitution.
Addressing the weekly parliamentary party meeting, the PM expressed his unhappiness at the conduct of opposition members. “The members who tore papers and threw around have not even regretted their conduct. This shows their arrogance,” parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said, quoting the PM. Modi accused the opposition of an “undemocratic” attitude and said they are not keen on meaningful debates. However, he asked BJP lawmakers to exercise restraint.
While TMC MP Shantanu Sen had torn the statement of IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on the Pegasus issue in Rajya Sabha, many opposition members had torn papers in Lok Sabha and threw them.
Modi also referred to a tweet of TMC MP Derek O’Brien in which the latter had equated passage of recent bills with making “papri chaat”. “Such comments are derogatory to parliamentary procedure and the esteem of elected representatives,” MoS V Muraleedharan said quoting Modi. The PM also asserted that the Centre will leave no stone unturned to fulfil its commitments, saying bills do not belong to the government but are for people’s welfare.
(With agency input)
