Cracking the whip, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said incidents like BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya assaulting government official were “unacceptable” and such persons should be sacked from the party.
Modi's remarks came days after Akash, the son of BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, was seen hitting a civic official with a cricket bat. Akash was arrested and later released on bail after which he was given a rousing welcome, including celebratory gun fire, by BJP workers.
“I don't care whose son he is, such misbehaviour, arrogance is intolerable and unacceptable,” Modi said addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, the first after the formation of the new government.
“Manmaani nahi chalegi (one cannot behave the way he wants),” he said without mentioning Akash by name, but the clear reference was not lost on the BJP leaders.
Kailash Vijayvargiya was present at n the meeting when Modi deplored the incident.
Modi said such incidents bring the party a bad name and were unacceptable. “If somebody commits a mistake, there should be a sense of apology as well,” he said.
He expressed his unhappiness at the poor attendance of party MPs when triple talaq bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier, BJP leaders felicitated Modi on his re-election as Prime Minister. BJP President Amit Shah and working president J P Nadda were also felicitated, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters.
Joshi said Modi will launch the BJP's membership drive from Varanasi on July 6, the birth anniversary of party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee
Modi asked party workers to plant at least five trees in every booth across the country to mark the ocassion.
While Modi will launch the membership drive from Varanasi, Shah will kick it off in Telangana and other party leaders in different parts of the country.
In his address, he asked party MPs to ensure their presence in Parliament during the ongoing session and added that they should also dedicate themselves to people's service so that they are known for what they have done for the masses, Joshi said.