Working president of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction Praful Patel on Monday accused parties of the opposition INDIA bloc of "repeatedly" obstructing the functioning of Parliament and said this will not just harm the country but also their political prospects.
Seventy-eight members from opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC, the DMK and the JD(U), were suspended on Monday from the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha for unruly behaviour, and displaying placards and raising slogans over the Parliament security breach issue.
"The biggest unfortunate thing is that Parliament's functioning is being obstructed again and again...There is a call for progress and the country is marching on the path of progress at a very fast pace," Patel, who is a Rajya Sabha member, told reporters at the Parliament Complex.
"And, amid this, if anyone puts unnecessary hurdles, it will harm the country. And, I suggest to all of them (opposition parties) also that it will harm their politics as well," he added.
Patel said the December 13 Parliament security breach was an "unfortunate" incident and both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have said it is a very serious issue. "There is no doubt that we all should think about Parliament's security," he added.
Patel said the 2001 Parliament attack was a much bigger incident than what happened in the Lok Sabha on December 13 but none of the members indulged in any politics then. "Everyone had then taken care of Parliament's security, and the country's security and dignity," he said.
Patel said whenever there was any crisis, everyone came together to fight it.
"Here we are using it (unity) for politics…All these politics which is happening…I am surprised whether we want to discuss the people's expectations or not…All the time just obstruction, obstruction, obstruction…You are playing politics on it," he said while hitting out at the opposition.
Patel said a way out of the impasse can be worked out through discussion, provided the opposition gives up the tradition of "pehle gatirodh, phir charcha (first putting obstruction and then demanding discussion)". Opposition parties, including the Congress, need to understand, he said.
He out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and wondered whether he was trying to provoke people by citing unemployment as a reason behind the December 13 incident.
"Rahul Gandhi was saying that such kinds of incidents will take place when there is unemployment (in the country). I was extremely surprised (to hear his remarks)," he said, and asked the Congress leader, "What do you want to say? Do you mean that anyone can indulge in such an act if unemployed." "This is very unfortunate," he said, adding "On the one hand, you talk about 'Bharat jodo' while on the other you talk about breaking Bharat." Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan took potshots at INDIA bloc parties, saying it is an irony that those who are not able to even sit together for a meeting are talking about uprooting the BJP "This is such an alliance of opposition parties, the constituents of which are always in the race of countering each other,” he told PTI at the Parliament Complex.
Paswan expressed his doubts if INDIA bloc constituents would ever succeed in coming together to challenge the BJP-led NDA in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
