India Has a ‘PM-Mukt’ Parliament: Congress

As Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s party BJP has been advocating for a Congress-Mukt India (India without Congress), the Congress party has reacted by saying that the country has a ‘PM-Mukt’ Parliament.

With this statement, Congress has tried to bring home the point that Modi has been mostly missing from the Parliament sessions.

When PM Modi assumed office, Congress says, he had said that Parliament is a temple of democracy and he kowtowed before entering the august building for the first time.

A year into his term, on one of his numerous trips to the USA, he said, the Constitution is “the only Holy Book” for his Government. But, today, India has been forced to come to terms with a ‘PM-Mukt Parliament’. PM Modi’s actions show his disdain for the Parliament and its affairs, Congress said.

[ आओ मिल कर करें एक नये और समृद्ध भारत का निर्माण ]

According to Congress, PM Modi loves to speak, but, unfortunately, not in National Interest but for vote bank politics. For all his grandstanding, PM Modi was chided into making a rare appearance in the Lok Sabha during the final stages of the GST Bill, after it was debated thread bare in the Rajya Sabha.

This was the first time, over 122 previous occasions when a Constitutional Amendment was passed in both the Houses of Parliament that the Prime Minister was absent. An embarrassed PM Modi made an appearance in the Lok Sabha after the GST bill was debated, to save face, Congress said.

In this year alone, according to Congress, there has been violence in Kashmir, vigilantism by Gau Rakshaks and systematic violence against Dalits, yet the Prime Minister did not make a statement in Parliament, but chose to address these issues outside.

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Parliamentarians are representatives of the people, and the Houses of Parliament represent people’s will. When there are serious atrocities, the Prime Minister must address the representatives of the people, who will then hold the Government accountable, Congress suggested.

Instead of paying lip service, Congress said, Modi should actually give Parliament, and through it the 125 crore Indians, the respect it deserves.

Photo courtesy: Congress