Placards of “Big Brother is Watching” and ear-splitting slogans were the only highlight of the sixth day of the Parliament session which ended without transacting any business on Tuesday even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave tongue-lashing to the Congress for obstructing business in both Houses and asked BJP MPs to “expose” the Opposition party.
Both Houses of Parliament have barely transacted any business as they have been witnessing a repeat adjournments on account of Congress-led vociferous protest on a range of issues, including farmers’ agitation and Pegasus spyware controversy.
Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned multiple times on Tuesday as members of the Opposition continued their vociferous protests on the Pegasus snooping issue, seeking an independent judicial probe into the matter.
Apart from the reports by the Pegasus Project partners, the issues of the farmers’ demand to repeal the three farm laws and petrol prices skyrocketing have also been raised by Opposition members.
However, it was the Pegasus issue that has dominated proceedings in both the Houses so far. As soon as the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha resumed their sessions, the Opposition members began raising slogans in support of their demands for a probe.
Addressing a meeting of the BJP’s Parliamentary party, Modi accused the Congress of not only detailing Parliament proceedings but also not allowing other Opposition parties to resolve the impasse in Parliament.
The Congress had not allowed the Prime Minister to introduce his new council of Ministers on July 19 in the Lok Sabha when Parliament session had commenced.
In this reference the Prime Minister also pointed out the Congress’ boycott of last week’s all-party meeting to review the Covid-19 situation, and said the party had also prevented others from attending.
“Expose this behaviour of the Congress and some Opposition parties in front of the media and the public”, Modi told MPs in the meeting.
In the last Parliamentary party meet he had said the Congress is in the “coma” and not being able to digest BJP’s political progress. He had than sought BJP MPs to “expose lies of the Congress”.
Modi also spoke in the meeting about the “Azadi Amrit Mahotsav” launched by the Union Government to mark the 75 years of India’s Independence and sought their active participation and not reducing it to a “sarkari event”.
Reflecting Modi’s ideas, JP Nadda asked party MPs to ensure that Central Government schemes reach the pubic affected by the Civid-19 and spread vaccine awareness among people.
The BJP has been trying to limit the political damage done by the April-May second-killer-wave of the Covid-19 and asking all its leaders to play a pro-active role on vaccination and infrastructure building ahead of the anticipated third-wave of the pandemic in the country in August -September.
Meanwhile, seven Opposition parties have written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his intervention to direct the Government to discuss farmers’ issues and Pegasus phone-tapping in Parliament.
The decision to knock the doors of Rashtrapati Bhavan took place after a meeting of the Opposition leaders held in Parliament premises after the adjournment of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Though the Congress was also present in the meeting, but the signatories of the letter are BSP, RLP, SAD, National Conference, CPI, CPI(M) and NCP. Later the Opposition leaders joined senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for a joint Press conference outside Parliament.
The Congress sources said the grand old party did not became a signatory to the letter due to the presence of the SAD. However, both political parties will continue to fight for the right of farmers in Parliament till justice met.
NCP leader Supriya Sule said the seven parties have written to the President seeking his intervention to instruct the Government to discuss the farmers’ issues and Pegasus snooping in Parliament.