NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday accused the Opposition leaders of resorting to politics and abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of participating in a constructive debate during the discussion on Budget in Parliament.
“The Opposition should not do this. Instead of speaking on the finer aspects of the Budget document, they are abusing the PM and creating disruptions,” he alleged.
Speaking to reporters at his residence on Thursday morning, Rijiju further said that the manner in which some Opposition leaders have delivered their speeches amounts to insult to the House and lowers the dignity of the Budget session.
The minister said that people have given their mandate to Modi for a third term, but the Opposition leaders are insulting it. “The people have given the mandate to Prime Minister Modi for a third consecutive time. If anybody attempts to insult the mandate of the people, they would be certainly given a befitting reply by the people in the next elections,” he said.
Rijiju’s remarks came a day after the Opposition dubbed the Budget as “discriminatory” against the non-NDA-ruled states and accused the Prime Minister of running a “shaky and vulnerable” coalition government.
The Opposition had also described the Budget as a ‘kursi bachao’ (save the chair) document. The Opposition leaders had on Wednesday alleged that the Budget was dedicated only to two states — Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, where the NDA’s two allies, JDU and TDP, are in power.
Echoing the Prime Minister’s speech on the first day of the parliamentary session, Rijiju said that the elections were over and now the focus should be to work towards a developed India (Viksit Bharat) through holding constructive discussions on the Union Budget on the floors of both the Houses of Parliament.
“But the Opposition leaders did not say anything on the Budget. They indulged in doing politics during the discussion on the Budget,” Rijiju said. The minister said floor leaders of political parties should direct their members not to create ruckus inside Parliament and have a serious debate on the Budget.
