Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning renewed his attack on the opposition, once again accusing it of not allowing Parliament’s monsoon session to function.
At a meeting of BJP MPs he said repeated adjournments forced by a vociferous opposition were “an insult to Parliament… the constitution… to democracy and to the public”.
“Parliament is being insulted by the acts of the Opposition in both Houses. The person who snatched the paper and tore it is not repentant of his acts,” the Prime Minister told his MPs.
He was referring to Trinamool MP Shantanu Sen, who snatched IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s papers, as he was about to make a statement on the Pegasus row.
The Prime Minister also referred to “derogatory comments by a senior MP regarding passage of bills” – a reference to Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien’s “passing laws or making papri chaat?” tweet.
In the first 10 days, Modi-Shah rushed through and passed 12 Bills at an average time of UNDER SEVEN MINUTES per Bill ????(See shocking chart????)
Passing legislation or making papri chaat! pic.twitter.com/9plJOr5YbP
— Derek O’Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) August 2, 2021
This is the second time in a week the Prime Minister has lashed out at the opposition over fierce protests in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over a number of issues, including the Pegasus phone-hacking row, the government’s handling of the pandemic, and the farmers’ protest.
Last week he singled out the Congress and accused it of spurning attempts at resolving an impasse that has seen little, if any, work conducted in this session of Parliament.
The Prime Minister’s attack today came as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led a breakfast meeting of 15 opposition parties – the second this week.
Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra, the NCP’s Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, and the DMK’s Kanimozhi were among those present as opposition parties underscore their united front.
The united front at The Constitution Club 🙂 with @DeependerSHooda ji, @MahuaMoitra ji, @proframgopalya1 ji and @jothims ji pic.twitter.com/R601BMEPgD
— Priyanka Chaturvedi???????? (@priyankac19) August 3, 2021
After a similar meeting last week, Mr Gandhi and other opposition leaders declared PM Modi had “inserted a weapon in our phones” and used it to “hit the soul of India’s democracy”.
The unrelenting face-off between the government and the opposition (who were already at odds over the Covid situation and the farmers’ protests) escalated sharply after the Pegasus allegations published by a consortium of media houses around the world, including The Wire from India.
Rahul Gandhi is among those whose phones were allegedly a target for surveillance, as were master poll strategist Prashant Kishor and businessman Anil Ambani.
The opposition has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe, as well as a discussion in Parliament with both the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah present.
The Congress has also said the government is to blame for the non-functioning of parliament, as it has not agreed to demands made by an “united” opposition.
The government has insisted surveillance of the alleged kind is impossible given existing checks and balances in India’s legal framework. It has also referred to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s statement in Parliament and indicated it considers the matter closed.
Undaunted, last week Bengal became the first state to order a judicial inquiry. Party MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, is also on the list of alleged targets.
Little business been conducted in Parliament since the Pegasus row erupted July 18.
The monsoon session began the following day – July 19.
The government has claimed a loss of Rs 133 crore due to the disruptions; a statement via unnamed “sources” on Saturday said Parliament only functioned for 11 of a possible 107 hours.
