New Delhi: The Opposition can not digest that a ‘chaiwala‘ has become prime minister (PM) for a third time, Narendra Modi said at his first meeting with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Members of Parliament (MPs) during the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.
This came a day after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha on issues ranging from the NEET paper leak to the Manipur violence.
This meeting assumes importance since Modi held meetings with only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs during the last, 17th Lok Sabha sessions.
Addressing the NDA MPs amid ‘Bharat Mata ki jai‘ and ‘Vande Mataram‘ slogans in a departure from the ‘Modi Modi’ chants of the BJP parliamentarians, the PM said, “Congress desperation is reflected in its conduct, and it can not digest that a ‘chaiwala’ became prime minister a third time, something that nobody other than Nehru had achieved, that’s why Congress is desperate.”
Modi also attacked the Opposition, saying it can not digest the NDA’s victory in the general election and the BJP’s victories in the Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh state elections.
Briefing the media later, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, “Prime minister said every MP comes here for ‘seva‘ of the country and each MP, belonging to different parties, should work for the development of the country.”
The MPs should be present in the House, behave in line with parliamentary practice and customs, responsibly, and the NDA MPs, particularly, should develop subject expertise and speak with authority in the Parliament, Rijiju further said, conveying Modi’s message.
“We have seen how the prime minister was remote-controlled during the Congress regime, but we do not have to behave like how Rahul Gandhi behaved yesterday (Monday), NDA MPs should behave in Parliament as per the parliamentary rules,” a BJP MP, who was present at the meeting, told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
The BJP MP said the PM’s thrust was on guiding the first-time MPs and counselling them on how to be “effective” MPs on the floor of the House.
“The prime minister asked MPs to learn as people of their constituency are watching them… If today they ask a question or raise an issue of importance, the people of their constituency will appreciate their contribution,” the BJP MP said.
“If they (MPs) ask (a question) after three months, the people of the constituency will ask where their MP had been. Any speech in Parliament, delivered with authority, is more remembered than any other speech as it’s recorded and becomes a part of Parliament history,” the MP added.
An NDA MP, who was present at the meeting, said, “The prime minister asked the NDA MPs to meet regularly during (parliamentary) sessions and prepare a list of NDA spokespersons to be sent on television channels to show a united spirit and counter lies and falsehood.”
Another suggestion the prime minister made to NDA MPs was to avoid the media and not unnecessarily speak to media persons. He reportedly told NDA MPs that they should be wary of facilitators making them promises because there is a risk of sting operations in Delhi.
The PM also made one request — every MP, along with their family, should visit the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, behind which there is no political agenda, the NDA MP said.
“Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is an effort to let the entire country know of the contribution of each prime minister, appreciate it, and learn from it,” the NDA MP said.
The BJP MP said Modi discussed how several prime minister’s contributions were ignored and that “the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is an effort to showcase the contribution of every prime minister, from Charan Singh to Morarji Desai”.
Speaking with reporters, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan said, “Learning from the prime minister’s experience, when we have seen parliamentary traditions being flouted recently, means a lot. We got his guidance today.”
Though the prime minister, in the past, has addressed NDA MPs on a few occasions, especially when he was elected as their leader in 2014, he usually speaks at meetings of the BJP MPs during parliamentary sessions.
However, for the first time since 2014, the BJP has failed to secure a majority in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election, now depending on its allies for the government’s continuation.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)