Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Lok Sabha as ‘arrogant’, the Congress on Tuesday said he lost a ‘good’ opportunity to present his vision and what he and his party stood for.
“This was quite an arrogant reply. This was the last opportunity for him, because next budget and President’s address will be before the next Lok Sabha election.
“He should have used this window of opportunity to present his vision, clarity and also perspective for the country. Perhaps he has lost his life's opportunity or the NDA has lost this good opportunity to present what they stand for,” Congress leader Veerappa Moily told reporters outside Parliament.
Another Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor said that just by giving a good speech, good days do not come as for that there is a need to do some work.
“By giving a accha bhashan (good speech), acche din (good days) does not come. To bring good days, there is a need for work as well. We have just heard his speech.
“Today on this demonetisation, we are again getting an opportunity to speak. Because the Ordinance which the government had promulgated, they have now brought a Bill. We will answer on this,” Tharoor said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to states governed by non-National Democratic Alliance parties when it comes to offering assistance to them during calamities.
“Hence, I have asked the Centre to offer package to Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh (pockets of which have witnessed earthquake and drought respectively),” he said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist attacked the PM for ‘hijacking’ sanctity of debate on motion of thanks to President into ‘election propaganda’ ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls and accused the Centre of jettisoning Parliamentary norms to ensure benefits for the BJP.
The Left party accused the PM of shying away from answering issues raised by Parliamentarians including that of demonetisation and instead engaging in ‘rhetoric and sloganeering’ and also charged him with ‘lowering’ level of debates in Parliament by making certain remark.
Speaking to reporters, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Left party will insist the PM to face questions when Narendra Modi replies to the motion in the Upper House on Wednesday.
“We have taken serious objection to the fact that the sanctity of debate on the motion of thanks to the President is being hijacked into election propaganda by the PM.
“Now this is something that is very serious thing, which has not happened in the Parliament earlier. I think the Parliamentary norms are being jettisoned for the sake of their political benefits,” Yechury alleged.
The Marxist leader, accompanied by the Left party’s Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Salim, accused the government of scheduling the PM’s reply in the Rajya Sabha, when many of the opposition members are likely to be in Uttar Pradesh for campaigning.
The ruling party does not enjoy a majority in Rajya Sabha.
Stating that the PM’s reply in the Rajya Sabha may eat into ‘important’ time of Zero Hour, when issues of public importance are raised, Yechury also suggested Modi to address the Upper House towards the end of discussions.
“And we only want to remind the BJP and the PM that the last two years on the debate of motion of thanks to the President in Rajya Sabha, there were amendments moved and carried, on both occasions the ruling party lost vote,” he warned, adding the CPI-M will mobilise its full strength in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Salim, noted it was unfortunate that the PM did not touch upon the issues raised by opposition members in Lok Sabha.
On the advancing of budget and the government's claims that it will help Ministrys plan their spending from day one of the fiscal, Yechury alleged it is the argument to cover up for some other political motive the government has.
When asked by a reporter about Modi trying to suggest that previous governments refused to act on corruption as the PM lauded demonetisation in the Lower House, Yechury taunted saying ‘whatever the government does is because the earlier governments did nothing for 70 years’.
Comparing the demonetisation move of erstwhile Morarji Desai government with that of the Modi dispensation, Yechury said the NDA government has banned currency in circulation (Rs 500 and Rs 1,000) putting common people in trouble.
But Desai government ‘had withdrawn Rs 1,000 notes’, which he added, were used ‘for hoarding’ in those times.
The Rajya Sabha member also reiterated that the government has not come out with list of those hoarding money in tax havens when Modi talks about fighting black money.
Yechury further charged the government with trying to bulldoze discussions on the budget, which he said, will not be allowed.
