Prime Minister Narendra Modi has in a newspaper interview advised against any “vaad-vivaad” (debate) or “pratirodh” (protest) over the Parliament security breach, prompting the Opposition to ask why he and home minister Amit Shah were sidestepping the House and making statements outside on such a serious matter.

Modi and Shah have stayed away from both Houses of Parliament since Wednesday’s storming of the Lok Sabha by two smoke-canister-carrying youths, ignoring the Opposition’s demands for a statement from the government on the “grave security breach”.

On Sunday, Hindi daily Dainik Jagran published an interview with Modi where he speaks on the matter, days after Shah told a media conclave the Opposition was “politicising the issue”.

“On such issues (like the security breach in Parliament), everyone should avoid vaad-vivaad ya pratirodh (debate or protest),” Modi is quoted in the interview, where he terms Wednesday’s incident a “matter of concern”.

The Prime Minister appears to prioritise a probe over a debate, saying in the interview that the investigation needs to be completed before any discussion is held.

Citing Modi’s remarks in the interview, the Opposition accused him of shunning a debate to escape questions over the role of BJP parliamentarian Pratap Simmha, whose recommendation had helped the two canister-carrying youths secure passes to the Lok Sabha visitors’ gallery.

Opposition leaders also expressed dismay that Modi and Shah had skipped Parliament proceedings since the security breach but made statements on the matter to media outlets.

“All that INDIA parties are asking for and will continue to press for is a statement by the Home Minister on what happened on December 13th and how exactly it happened,” Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh posted on X.

“The PM is running away from a debate for a very simple reason. Questions will be raised on the role of the Mysuru BJP MP Pratap Simha in facilitating the entry of the intruders into the Lok Sabha on December 13th.”

The government and the BJP have so far not taken any action against Simmha.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, said in a post on X: “Prime Minister will speak about parliament security breach to a newspaper. Home Minister will speak about parliament security breach to a news channel. No one will speak on the floor of the house which truly is the only place for them to speak on this issue.”

Former Lok Sabha secretary-general P.D.T. Achary said that although no rule bars those in government from speaking on policy decisions or important matters outside Parliament even when the House is in session, a “healthy convention” (of speaking first in Parliament) has largely been followed.

“Barring occasional digressions, the convention has been followed. If the home minister remains silent then there is no problem, but when MPs have been seeking his statement inside the House and he speaks outside, then a healthy convention is not being observed,” Achary told The Telegraph.

He emphasised that Parliament is run as much by convention as by rules.

In the interview, Modi is quoted as saying: “The gravity of the incident which happened in Parliament should not be underestimated. The Speaker has been taking the steps needed with all seriousness. The investigative agencies are inquiring strictly….”

He adds: “It is equally important to get to the root of the people behind it (the security breach) and their motives.”

According to police sources, the accused have said during interrogation that their stunt was meant to draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the widespread joblessness and the Manipur situation.

Modi says in the interview that “efforts should be made to look for a solution with a collective spirit”, appearing to suggest the Opposition should suspend its protests.

The Opposition was already up in arms since Shah spoke on the security breach outside Parliament. Now, with Modi having done the same, the protests inside Parliament are likely to intensify on Monday.

The government has tried to justify the absence of a statement from Shah by insisting that the security of the Parliament complex is the responsibility of the Lok Sabha Speaker.

Speaker Om Birla too has been making the same point, arguing the government should not be held accountable.

On Thursday, 13 Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha MP were suspended as the Opposition stalled proceedings demanding a statement from the government. Opposition members described the action as an effort to silence them.

Friday witnessed counter-aggression from the Opposition with senior leaders breaking with tradition to hold placards and protest in the Well of the Lok Sabha, daring the government to get them suspended too.

In the interview, Modi makes no direct reference to the Opposition’s protests in Parliament, the suspension of MPs, or the role of Simmha.

CM choices

Asked about the choice of “relatively new and little-known” leaders as chief ministers in the three heartland states the BJP won this month, Modi firmly justifies the selections in the interview.

He alleges that “a big section of those who influence society” promote a “cliched and narrow” mindset that hinders any focus on talent from outside a particular set.

Modi claims that the three chief ministers picked for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have “lots of experience and hard work behind them”.

“It is the country’s misfortune that a big section of those who influence society are bound by a cliched and narrow mindset,” he says.

“If in any field some name becomes big with some branding, then others do not get attention irrespective of their talent and hard work.”

Modi goes on to blame the media for focusing only on a “few families”.

“That is why you often see some people as ‘new’. But the truth is that they are not new. They have done the hard work and have their own experience,” he says.