Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi, The Prime Minister will come to Parliament when it is needed, the ruling BJP said on Wednesday as it responded to opposition swipes about PM Narendra Modi not attending house proceedings.
“When it’s needed for the PM to attend house he will…he came to Parliament today. The PM has his responsibilities, he is doing his work,” said Venkaiah Naidu, Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
“If needed the PM will speak, when it’s his turn during the question hour he will be there. The PM is doing his job, the people are happy, only the opposition is unhappy, what can we do?” he added.
PM Modi was present in the Lok Sabha today when the opposition raised loud protests against one of his new ministers, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, for a hate speech and an expletive at a rally in Delhi.
Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge quipped, “It is a privilege that the Prime Minister is present in the House today.”
On Tuesday, the prime minister’s absence during the uproar over the minister’s abusive language provoked a litany of barbs from the opposition at someone they have called “NRI Prime Minister”.
Mr Modi did attend a weekly BJP parliamentary party meeting, where he had sternly cautioned MPs against “addressing the nation” out of turn.
“Forget bringing back black money from abroad. Please bring back our PM first,” said the Left’s Sitaram Yechury.
“Please grant a visa to the Prime Minister of India to come to the Rajya Sabha,” sneered Trinamool Congress member Derek O’Brien.
Mr Naidu hit back today, saying, “Where is the absence? Does Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress leader) sit in the assembly from morning to evening? Some people are saying he’s always abroad, when will he be back. Is this some joke?”
Opposition parties have made repeated jibes at the Prime Minister over his foreign visits. Senior Bihar politician Lalu Yadav called him an “NRI Prime Minister” while a Congress leader joked “When is he visiting India next?”
The Congress has alleged that since taking power in May, PM Modi has spent only one of every six days in India.
Mr Modi has visited nine countries in six foreign trips since he took over in May this year.
In a statement in Parliament, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said the visits had brought “significant results” and raised global interest in India.
