After Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his disappointment over the disruptions in the House by opposition members, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday recalled the stormy first session of the 14th Lok Sabha when the Motion of Thanks was passed without Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s reply on the debate. Jairam Ramesh, a member of Rajya Sabha and in charge of communications for Congress, said that Manmohan Singh was not allowed by the Bharatiya Janata Party to reply to the Motion of Thanks on President’s address in the Lok Sabha and had to lay it on the table of the House.
“In June 2004, new Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was NOT allowed by BJP to reply to the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address in the Lok Sabha. He was forced to lay it on the Table of the House,” the Congress MP tweeted.
“Today we heard long pravachans (sermons) in the Rajya Sabha on decorum.”
The short pre-budget session after the 2004 general elections was marked by uproarious scenes with BJP MPs, who were in opposition, demanding the “tainted ministers” be dropped from the council of ministers. The Parliament session was largely a washout and only two members, both from the Congress, could speak when the motion of thanks on then President Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s speech was moved.
Earlier today, Modi delivered his 90-minute speech in reply to a debate on a motion thanking the President for her address to a joint sitting of Parliament, amidst the Opposition members shouting for a probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) into allegations raised against the Adani Group by the US-based Hindenburg Research firm.
As he rose to speak, opposition MPs, some holding placards, rushed into the Well shouting slogans against the prime minister and seeking a JPC. Hitting back, Modi said, “Jitna keechad uchaloge, kamal utna hi zyada khilega (the more dirt you fling, the bigger the lotus – the election symbol of BJP – will bloom).”
“Some people’s behaviour and language are disappointing not just for the House but for the country,” he said in a veiled reference to the allegations opposition parties levelled against him.
