PM Narendra Modi's remarks against Manmohan Singh: Congress to continue protest in Parliament

On Wednesday, Congress members disrupted proceedings over the insinuations made by PM Modi against his predecessor ex-PM Manmohan Singh.

Photo: PTI

NEW DELHI: The Winter Session of Parliament is all set to witness stormy scenes on Thursday as Congress members are likely to disrupt house proceedings today demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for levelling allegations against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

On Wednesday, noisy scenes by Congress marred proceedings in the Lok Sabha, which witnessed two adjournments and a walkout by the main opposition party.

The Congress created an uproar in both the Houses of Parliament and disrupted proceedings. While the day's work in the Rajya Sabha was washed out, its members in the Lok Sabha staged a walkout and boycotted the lower house post- lunch.

It kept up its protests even after Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said that 'nobody is going to apologize here' and rejected Congress members` notice for a discussion.

"The prime minister is trying to break the country and tarnish the image of good people," senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters outside Parliament.

He said if the prime minister had information about a "secret meeting" between senior Congress leaders and the Pakistan envoy and its ex-foreign minister which was "anti- national", then why did he not use the Intelligence Bureau and other agencies at his disposal.

The grand-old party said Modi should at least clarify his remark which he allegedly used to "win" the Gujarat election, saying had Atal Behari Vajpayee been the prime minister, he would have apologised 10 times. The party also alleged that Modi was trying to break the country and tarnish the image of his predecessor. It earlier demanded an apology from the prime minister.

On the other hand, the BJP turned down the opposition party's demand of an apology from PM Modi saying that Prime Minister has not uttered a single word for which he should apologise. Instead, the party accused the Congress of venting the frustration of its defeat in the recent assembly polls by stalling Parliament.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit back at the Congress after its leaders demanded that Modi apologise for the allegation that his predecessor Manmohan Singh had colluded with Pakistan to influence Gujarat polls. He told reporters that the opposition party should rather come clean at the dinner meeting as its leader Anand Sharma had first denied any such event before accepting it.

As the House met for the day, Congress members were on their feet. Many had given notice under Rule 267 to suspend all listed business and discuss the issue. However, Naidu rejected all the notices and asked the members to continue with Zero Hour submissions. The Congress members then trooped near the Chair's podium, shouting slogans.

The Chairman then adjourned the House till noon after his repeated requests to maintain order went unheeded. As soon as the House met again for Question Hour, the Congress members again shouted slogans. The Chair then adjourned the House till 2 p.m.

Soon after the House resumed at 2:00 pm, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue of Modi's 'objectionable remarks'.

"There is no question of even our smallest worker conspiring with Pakistan. Here, allegations are being made against a former Prime Minister. We are not demanding an apology. But the Prime Minister must clarify that these remarks were an election stunt and now the elections are over, he is taking them back," Azad said 

In an election rally in Gujarat, Modi said that Manmohan Singh and others at a dinner meeting discussed the Gujarat Assembly election with Pakistani diplomats.

The government on Tuesday tried to make peace with Congress with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley meeting Congress leaders, but the move failed to break the ice as the Congress stuck to its demand for an apology by the Prime Minister.

(With Agency inputs)