Opposition Using Parliament to Vent Out Frustration: Modi

Targeting the Opposition, Mr Modi accused his political rivals of turning the House into a “warm-up arena” for elections or as an outlet to vent out their frustration after defeat. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament ahead of the Winter Session, Mr Modi said the session must not become a stage for political drama but a platform for constructive and result-driven debate.

Urging all parties to recognise the purpose of Parliament and “come out of the frustration of defeat,” he also offered to give tips to the Opposition to bring about positivity in politics.
In a sharp retort, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh dubbed the PM as the “biggest dramebaaz” and said his statement accusing the Opposition of indulging in drama in Parliament is “nothing but hypocrisy.” Raising issues concerning the people is not drama, but not allowing democratic discussion on them is, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.

Hitting out at the Opposition, the Prime Minister said, “We need to work with a sense of responsibility. Parliament is not a place for drama… it is a place for delivery.”

The Monsoon Session of Parliament was virtually washed out over Opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Opposition has threatened to stall the Winter Session as well over the SIR exercise in nine states and three Union territories if the issue is not discussed in Parliament.

“For some time now, our Parliament has been used either as a warm-up arena for elections or as an outlet for frustration after defeat,” Mr Modi said.
Citing the Opposition’s drubbing in the recent Bihar elections, the Prime Minister said the Opposition was perturbed by the electoral loss and was unable to digest failure.
“Defeat should not be the ground to create disruption. Victory should not convert into arrogance either,” he said, adding that the record turnout witnessed in the Bihar polls was the biggest strength of democracy, and the Opposition too should fulfil its responsibility and come out of its depression after losing in the polls.
Mr Modi said the game the Opposition was playing for the past 10 years was no longer acceptable to the people. “They should change their strategy… I am ready to give them a few tips,” the Prime Minister said, and exhorted all parties to recognise the purpose of Parliament and “come out of the frustration of defeat.”

Responding to the PM’s remarks, Congress president Kharge said that instead of addressing the real issue of people, Prime Minister Modi has once again made his “dramebaazi delivery.”
In a statement on X, Mr Kharge said that the reality was that the government has been continuously trampling parliamentary decorum and system for the past 11 years, and the long list of such instances was well-known. “The BJP should now end this drama of distraction and engage in debate in Parliament on the real issues facing the people,” Mr Kharge said in his post.
The Congress president said the truth was that the common man was struggling with unemployment, inflation, economic inequality and the looting of the country’s precious resources, while “those in power are playing the game of dramebaazi in the arrogance of authority”.
In the last Monsoon Session alone, at least 12 bills were passed in haste, some in less than 15 minutes and some without any discussion at all. “The entire country has previously witnessed how you bulldozed anti-farmer black laws, GST, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and such bills through Parliament in a frantic rush,” Mr Kharge said.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said the Prime Minister never attends Parliament, undermines it and doesn’t engage with the Opposition. “Yet before every session he will stand outside the Parliament building and speak grandly to the nation, asking for constructive cooperation from the Opposition to ensure the smooth functioning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The PM’s statement before Parliament begins is nothing but hypocrisy. The biggest dramebaaz of them all is talking of drama,” Mr Ramesh said in a post on X.
Mr Ramesh said if Parliament doesn't function smoothly, the fault is entirely that of the Prime Minister and his stubborn refusal to allow the Opposition to raise issues of urgent public importance. “He wants to always have his way without giving the Opposition an opportunity to at least have its say,” he said.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded a debate on urgent issues such as air pollution and SIR, saying these were huge public issues that needed to be discussed in Parliament. “What is Parliament for? It’s not drama. Speaking about issues and raising issues is not drama. Drama is not allowing discussion. Drama is not having a democratic discussion on issues that matter to the public,” Ms Vadra told reporters outside Parliament.

“We have spoken about air pollution; why are we not raising it? Why are we not allowed to discuss these things?” she asked.
Terming the air quality in Delhi shameful, she said everyone must come together to take strong steps to tackle the problem and save the health of children, the elderly, and those already suffering from respiratory issues.