For Congress, party is above nation, says Narendra Modi

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that for the Congress, party was above the nation whereas for the BJP the nation came first and then the party.

Modi was addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting before the House met on the last day of the Winter session.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, quoting the PM’s address in the meeting, told the media that at the time of Bangladesh liberation, no questions were asked by any political party about the army action. But today, the political discourse had stooped so low that questions were being asked about the surgical strike by the army in the PoK, he added.       

Earlier, the ruling UPA would indulge in corruption and the opposition would fight it. Now it is the government which is fighting corruption and the opposition parties were opposing it, the PM was quoted as saying.

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The PM also asked MPs to go back to their constituencies and take the message of digital and cashless economy to the people. He told MPs to directly approach people and educate them about digital economy.

The meeting also wished External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is admitted to hospital with a kidney ailment, a speedy recovery.

The Prime Minister’s address came just ahead of the last day of the almost washed-out Winter session of Parliament. His asking the MPs to take the message of digital economy to people follows BJP president Amit Shah asking MPs to spend at least a week in their constituencies for this purpose.

With demonetisation dominating the thinking of all political parties, the Winter Session remained stalled for most days with the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the issue remaining inconclusive and discussion in the Lok Sabha never really taking off.
Both sides countered each other bitterly on the issue but outside Parliament.

The government was of the view that it was ready for a debate but not with conditions like the mandatory presence of the Prime Minister during the debate in the Rajya Sabha.
The Opposition said it was ready for a discussion but was not being allowed to speak.