Scoffing at the criticism over the government’s decision to bring an ordinance to implement the Food Security Bill, Union minister Manish Tewari on Thursday accused the Opposition of shedding "crocodile tears" over Parliamentary propriety.
"It is indeed amusing that the ones who are shedding crocodile tears on propriety are also the ones who have acquired a PhD in 'disruptionites'," the information and broadcasting minister said, referring to disruption of Parliament proceedings in the recent past.
In an apparent reference to the BJP, Tewari said that the opposition had shown scant respect for Parliamentary traditions and added that two of its sessions had been washed out because of its stance.
"Substantive questions or substantive criticism with regard to the Food Security Ordinance has to be answered once the President has promulgated it. But I am quite amused as to who are the people who are talking about Parliamentary propriety, who are getting worried about Parliamentary sessions and the fact that a Parliamentary session was on the cusp," Tewari told reporters.
"Those who have acquired a PhD in 'disruptionites', the opposition, need to be circumspect as to the manner in which they have treated the Parliament," he said, adding, "Don't we all recall the November session of 2010 which was wiped out. Don't we recall the monsoon session last year which was completely washed out."
The government's decision to bring an ordinance to implement the Food Security Bill drew major flak from Opposition, with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Left Front accusing it of "bypassing" Parliament.
They found support from the Samajwadi Party, which questioned the government's "hurry", saying it would turn "bread-givers (farmers) into beggars".
