Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Opposition, especially the Congress, for the ongoing disruptions and adjournments in Parliament especially over the Pegasus snoopgate, inflation and other issues.
At the first meeting of the BJP parliamentary party during the monsoon session, the PM said the government was willing to discuss every issue in Parliament but the Opposition was showing “most irresponsible behaviour”.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Congress, which has now been restricted to two-three States, still believes it alone has the right to be in power.
Sources said that in the meeting, Modi asked BJP MPs to effectively counter the allegations of the opposition about the government’s Covid response and the availability of vaccines.
He also told the MPs that in anticipation of a third wave of the Covid pandemic, they should prepare and be ready to put boots on the ground, the sources said.
Covid vaccination drive
On the Covid vaccination drive, Modi emphasised that BJP MPs should ensure that the drive in their respective constituencies is carried out without glitches.
In a jab at the AAP government, the prime minister pointed out that in Delhi, nearly 20 per cent of frontline workers are yet to be vaccinated against Covid. The Opposition has been attacking the government, alleging “mismanagement” in handling of the second wave of the pandemic. It has also demanded a statement in Parliament on the issue.
The PM said the Covid crisis is not a political but a humanitarian issue and asserted that the government has ensured no one goes hungry during the pandemic. “Such a pandemic has been witnessed by the world after a very very long time,” Joshi quoted the PM as telling the MPs at the meeting.
Modi stressed that despite the pandemic, a huge population got ration, and told BJP MPs that providing relief to the people was their responsibility and not a favour, according to Joshi.