PM accuses Opposition of insulting President, Constitution for not allowing debate in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress of insulting the tribal woman President of India, as well as the Constitution, by resorting to disruptions in the Lok Sabha and not allowing the debate on the Motion of Thanks on her address.

Terming the events in the Lok Sabha painful, he also accused the main Opposition party of insulting tribals, dalits, and people from the northeast.

Replying to a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, the Prime Minister accused the Congress of insulting the Constitution. He had to skip his reply to the debate in the Lok Sabha because of repeated uproar by the Opposition.

Talking about disruptions in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said, "Congress insulted the President, who comes from a humble tribal community. It's shameful... Yesterday in the Lok Sabha, a discussion could not be held on the President's address. They have insulted the entire tribal community, a woman and India's top constitutional post, the office of the President. They have also insulted the Constitution."

"Such people do not have the right to speak about the Constitution."

"The incident that took place in the Lok Sabha is very painful. We can understand your frustration, but it was done in the temple of democracy. At that time, there was an MP from Assam in the chair, and papers were thrown at him. Is it not an insult to the northeast? Not an insult to the people of Assam?"

He was referring to Dilip Saikia, a BJP MP from Darrang-Udalguri in Assam, and Krishna Prasad Tenneti, a TDP MP from Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh. Both are members of the Panel of Chairpersons in the Lok Sabha.

"They did it yesterday as well, at that time, a son of a Dalit family from Andhra Pradesh was sitting in the Chair. They are doing their job, but you are insulting him because he comes from a Dalit family?" he said.

He also accused the Congress of insulting the singer, composer, filmmaker, poet, and lyricist from Assam, Bhupen Hazarika.

"It was our fortune that we could give Bharat Ratna to him. They raised objections to that as well," he said.