New Delhi, Dec 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took aim at the Congress-led opposition as the Winter Session opened, accusing rival parties of turning Parliament into a stage for “meltdown” after repeated election losses.
“There are a lot of spaces for drama,” Modi said in his opening remarks. “Parliament is a place for delivery, not drama. The opposition is unable to digest its defeats and is venting its anguish here.”
The 19-day session, which has 15 sittings, is expected to see the opposition push for a debate on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the process unfairly deletes voters supportive of non-BJP groups. The EC has denied the charge, and the Supreme Court has upheld the SIR mechanism.
Modi noted that negative politics “has a limited value” and said the opposition should focus on “neeti, not naara” as the session begins. “The whole country is available to them for raising slogans,” he said. “They have been shouting in states where they have just been defeated and in states where they are about to be defeated.”
He also expressed concern that disruptions prevent young and first-time MPs from speaking. “They are anxious and sad,” he said. “They are not getting an opportunity to raise issues of their areas or matters of national importance. All parties should give space to new MPs so their experiences enrich the House.”
Modi acknowledged that this is the first session to be chaired in the Rajya Sabha by Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan.
Before concluding, he accused some parties of creating “a new convention” of using Parliament to release their frustrations. “The nation is not accepting their games,” Modi said. “They should change their approach and strategy. I am ready to give them tips. Parliament cannot become a site for opposition meltdown.”
