Gogoi targets PM over ‘absence’, many times Opp didn’t allow him to speak, says Sitharaman

Speaker Om Birla interjected and said that PM Modi had informed him and the House about his foreign visit and pointed out that previous prime ministers too have undertaken visits during Parliament sessions.

Modi is on an official visit to Mauritius.

Gogoi said that he has utmost respect for the PM, but it was the tendency of the Treasury benches to “insult” former PMs time and again and their “utterances were always part of parliamentary record”.

At this point, Sitharaman said Gogoi has made some “very very profound” remarks and added there were a number of occasions when PM Modi was not even allowed to speak in the House.

“It was music to my ears to hear a leading member of the Opposition party say that he respects the PM only to add quickly — when the Treasury talks about the previous PMs, they speak not in a respectable language. How many times has the PM been abused in this House by them (Opposition) and how many times he was not even allowed to speak in the House. They stood in the Well (of the House) and shouted. Will the honourable member Gogoi apologise for the number of times they have abused the PM. Today, he is whitewashing all that… He should have the grace to admit that they have abused the PM, it was wrong and they should not do it again,” she said.

Hitting back. Gogoi urged the Finance Minister to read the PM’s speech during the last session. “His entire speech was abusing former prime ministers… Before pointing fingers, look within, introspect,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi later said that he raised the issue because the Opposition wants to listen to PM Modi’s response over the reports that India has “agreed” to “cut tariffs way down” with the US.