Opposition protests VB-G RAM-G during President Murmu address

Opposition members on Wednesday protested against the VB-G RAM-G Act during President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament, drawing strong condemnation from the Government, with Union minister JP Nadda demanding that they apologise for their conduct.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Opposition members embarrassed the country with their conduct and also insulted Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr BR Ambedkar, Birsa Munda, Bhupen Hazarika, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay by raising slogans during the president’s address, which paid tributes to them, remembering their contributions.

“The way these people undermined the dignity of Parliament is highly condemnable. No amount of condemnation is enough. They should apologise to Parliament and the country,” Nadda said.

Members of the Congress and its allies in the Opposition briefly raised slogans against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM-G) Act, demanding its rollback as soon as President Murmu began her address to the joint session of Parliament.

As the president referred to the VB-G RAM-G Act and began speaking about provisions in her address, Opposition members, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, rose from their seats and began protesting.

President Murmu paused for a moment during her address as the Opposition began raising slogans, demanding the rollback of the VB-G RAM-G Act.

Reacting sharply to the Opposition protest, Nadda said, “The Budget session of Parliament began today with the address by President Droupadi Murmu. But, the way the leaders of the Congress and Opposition parties habitually violated parliamentary decorum was utterly reprehensible and cannot be condemned enough.”

“In her address, when the president was mentioning the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram and paying tributes to the immortal scholar Bankim Babu, remembering his works, the anarchic Congress and the ‘INDI Alliance’ created a ruckus and started shouting slogans,” the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha added in a video message.

Nadda also slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC), saying it was “surprising” that the party members participated in the Opposition uproar when the president was paying tributes to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, remembering his contributions. Slamming the opposition, Rijiju told reporters in the Parliament House complex, “The country is ashamed of what the Opposition members did during the president’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament. The country will never forgive the Congress and its allies in the Opposition for this.”

In her address, the president was paying tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr BR Ambedkar, Birsa Munda, Bhupen Hazarika, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and exhorting the country to take inspiration from them, the parliamentary affairs minister said. But the Opposition members resorted to raising slogans and insulting them, he charged.

“Just imagine if any responsible Member of Parliament (MP) can ever behave in such a manner,” Rijiju said.

The country will never forgive the Opposition parties for the kind of politics they indulged in during the president’s address, he said.