'Discarded' opposition stalling Parliament, not letting me speak: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: For the second consecutive day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a public meeting to rue he has not been allowed to speak in Parliament on the demonetisation issue as the Opposition — that was “discarded” by the electorate — is stalling both the Houses and trying to “suppress” the truth about black money.

Addressing a BJP Parivartan rally in Bahraich, a district located at the Nepal border in UP , Modi said: “Parliament has not been allowed to function for 20 days. We are ready for a debate, but we are not being allowed to present our viewpoint by those very parties that have been discarded by the electorate.”

With just two working days left in the winter session of Parliament, the threat of a near washout looms large.


KP Maurya holding a phone so that people may listen to PM in Bahraich.

Modi had also complained about not being allowed to speak in Parliament at a public meeting in Banaskantha, Gujarat, on Saturday. Ironically, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi has also stated that he is being denied an opportunity to make his point in the Lok Sabha on the demonetisation issue as the government is not heeding to the Opposition demand.

While all sides, including President Pranab Mukherjee, have expressed regret over Parliament not functioning smoothly due to the row over demonetisation, the deadlock has not been broken yet.

While the government claims demonetisation has been welcomed by an overwhelming majority of the people and they are willing to bear some hardship for a few days, the Opposition claims it is a decision implemented in haste and has led to the death of over 100 people.



In his address to the Bahraich rally, Modi said the opposition parties never wanted to tread the path of honesty but his government will definitely win the fight against corruption. The PM had to address the BJP rally through a mobile phone from Lucknow as the IAF chopper carrying him failed to land due of poor visibility in Bahraich.

“They (Opposition) come to the Well of the House... throw paper at the (Lok Sabha) Speaker. We want to put forth government’s viewpoint... but they are not allowing us to do so. In a way, they are trying to suppress the truth,” Modi said. On demonetisation, he said: “You must have seen that the government is after people who have stashed black money. People are also taking pain to ensure that the country moves on the path of development.”