Ahead of the opening session of 18th Lok Sabha Parliament on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored that the House does not need drama but delivery and the Winter session should not become a battleground for frustration born out of defeat, or turn into an arena for arrogance after victory.
In his address to the media at Hans Dwar, Parliament House, Modi had a message for the Opposition: “Come out of the setbacks of poll losses and raise strong points in the House debates.”
Modi said he hoped that with time, the opposition leaders would have come to terms with loss in Bihar, but their statements show loss has unsettled them. “Negativity may have some utility in politics, but ultimately nation building requires a positive mindset… Opposition too should fulfil its responsibility and come out of its depression after loss in elections,” he said.
He termed the record voter turnout in Bihar elections as the biggest strength of democracy and said that the increase is women’s share in the voting is a sign of hope.
He added that the strength of democracy and economic policies are watched closely world over, and “India has proved democracy can deliver”.
Soon after, Parliament saw a stormy start to Winter Session as the the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned minutes after commencement amid Opposition sloganeering.
The rival front, in an all-party meeting on Sunday, put up a united front demanding discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the House, warning that they might stall proceedings if the government does not agree.
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However, the government signalled that a discussion on SIR per se would not be possible, as it was an administrative exercise being carried out by the Election Commission, an autonomous body, and the government cannot answer on its behalf.
The all-party meeting convened by the government and chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday also saw the Opposition demand discussions in Parliament on the recent Red Fort blast, air pollution and developments related to the government’s foreign policy.
