NEW DELHI: Several Union ministers today hit out at the Opposition for attempts to disrupt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Lok Sabha accusing them of being “petty minded”, and targeted Congress saying it was unbecoming of a party which has “ruled and ruined” the country for years.
“They (Congress) behaved in an immature manner. They have been in power for long. They must have the patience to hear the truth. When the truth is unpalatable to them, the way they were making personal remarks, the way they were trying to heckle the Prime Minister, it was unbecoming of a party which has ruled and ruined the country for this many number of years,” Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.
Naidu said that he felt sorry for “these people” who reacted the way they did in the Lok Sabha after they were heard patiently and peacefully.
“The Prime Minister, who is the leader of the nation, when he is intervening in a debate, there is a decorum, there is a decency, there is a system, there are precedents, that the leader of the House is given a peaceful hearing.
“But unfortunately these Congress people, they are not able to digest the fact that people have rejected them, they (people) have selected and elected Narendra Modi as the PM. It all shows their (Congress’) petty mindedness,” he told reporters outside Parliament.
Replying to a debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address which was adopted by the Lok Sabha later amid walkout by Congress, Modi answered criticism over demonetisation while asserting that the timing for the decision was perfect as the economy was doing well while hitting out at Congress whose record he questioned with regard to various issues.
Modi also replied point-by-point to the issues raised by the Opposition, including surgical strikes and allocations for MNREGA, agriculture sector and for Scheduled Castes.
In his 90-minute speech, which was punctuated by protests by some Opposition members at certain points, Modi also raised pitch for simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assemblies.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s “earthquake” dig to hit out at the Opposition, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said, “…They (Opposition) presented things in front of the people as if the Parliament will be shaken. But nothing of that sort happened.”
Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo said there was an earthquake in the opposition after the Prime Minister’s remark.
“The Prime Minister said that he will start playing from their (opposition) arena. They take credit for starting many (schemes) but could not do much. Be it Benami Property Act or MNREGA, Prime Minister told them about it.
“The earthquake had come in Delhi yesterday, we were lucky that there was not much damage, but the earthquake that has hit their (Opposition’s) hearts today, its impact will stay on for sometime,” he said.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s remark on Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, Supriyo said that since his name is ‘Kalyan’, his welfare will definitely happen.
“He (PM) only said that his ‘Kalyan’ will happen. What is wrong in that?” he asked.
Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said that the central point in the Prime Minister’s remarks and thoughts have been for the poor and also reflected the pain he felt for them.
“The central point of the Prime Minister in all his remarks and thought process is for the poor. It reflects his pain for the poor. His priority is always that a system should be created for the poor,” Rudy said after the speech. (AGENCIES)
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