BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla
Credit: X/@PTI_News Screengrab
New Delhi: The I.N.D.I.A bloc has a tradition of insulting people who come from backward and humble backgrounds and hold constitutional positions, the BJP claimed on Tuesday, slamming the opposition after TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee mimicked Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar mockingly.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said at a press conference that Dhankhar comes from a humble background and has OBC (Other Backward Classes) roots.
The way he has been made fun of shows I.N.D.I.A bloc leaders have little regard for the Constitution and parliamentary norms and they stand for confrontation and disruption, he alleged.
With 141 of opposition MPs suspended from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for disrupting proceedings, many of them held a protest at Parliament's main entrance for lawmakers on Tuesday.
Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee, suspended from Lok Sabha, mimicked Dhankhar's mannerism to make a point about his alleged partisanship and was cheered by his colleagues. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also witnessed their mock proceedings briefly.
Poonawalla noted Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had once insulted President Droupadi Murmu by calling her 'rashtrapatni' and added that opposition members have also derided and insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also from the OBC community and a humble background. Chowdhury had later apologised for his comments.
Gandhi was even convicted by a court for insulting those with Modi surname, the BJP leader said.
Opposition leaders are holding Parliament to hostage and have prioritised their and their parties' interests over the country's, he alleged. "They have a longstanding tradition os insulting those holding constitutional positions."
Speaking to reporters, he cited a glowing International Monetary Fund report on Indian economy to assert that even global agencies have put their stamp of approval on 'Modi's guarantees' after people's repeated endorsement of them.
India's per capita income has doubled under this government while the earning of middle class has grown by four times and the expenditure on social welfare has zoomed from Rs 6.6 lakh crore to Rs 22.4 lakh crore, he said.
The GST and direct tax collections have grown at a record pace, he added.
Indian economy has grown from fragile five under the Congress-led UPA government to top five under the Modi government, he said.
The recent assembly polls results have again shown that people have rejected the opposition's guarantees of corruption, commission, dynasty and personal ambitions and endorsed Modi's vision and mission to make India developed, he said.
The IMF on Monday released its annual Article IV consultation with India, according to which the country, underpinned by prudent macroeconomic policies, is on track to be one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world this year.
In a swipe at the meeting of I.N.D.I.A bloc, he said its leaders have been fighting with each other and are now trying to unite their parties amid differences in their hearts.