‘Why stop those digging their own graves?’: PM Modi to NDA MPs on Opposition disrupting Parliament

Three weeks into the current session, no legislation has been passed so far, with Parliament only discussing the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response in the form of Operation Sindoor.

The Opposition has been protesting, demanding a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, claiming that it is a tacit exercise in determining citizenship – something that the Election Commission of India is not empowered to do – that will result in the ‘disenfranchisement’ of lakhs of voters.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, NDA MPs said that PM Modi assured ruling alliance members that while they might be thinking that nothing is happening in Parliament, a lot was happening, and the nation was watching it all.

An NDA MP said that Modi underlined that it was important to remember that he had to begin his speech in Parliament on Operation Sindoor by saying that he was standing in the House to present India’s side (“Bharat ka paksh”) on the issue, thus obliquely suggesting that the Opposition had been doing the opposite. He also made a passing reference to the Supreme Court’s latest observation on Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, that he would not have said that China had occupied 2,000 sq km of Indian territory, “if he were a true Indian”.

An NDA MP said that PM Modi also said that the Opposition was indulging in self-sabotage. “Khud ke pair par patthar maar rahe hain (they are hitting their own feet with a stone),” the PM is learnt to have said.

The tone and tenor of the speech–which did not divulge any specific strategy to make Parliament run and pass pending Bills, as per sources—was to assure the ruling alliance MPs that they need not worry, as the Opposition was putting itself in the dock before the country. His message was that the NDA as a united bloc should continue to do what it was doing.

NDA Parliamentary Party lauds PM Modi’s ‘unwavering resolve, resolute command’

The NDA Parliamentary Party on Tuesday saluted the “unmatched courage and unwavering commitment of our armed forces, who showed heroic valour during Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev” in addition to condoling those who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack.

Its resolution also lauded the “exceptional leadership” displayed by PM Modi, stating, “His unwavering resolve, visionary statesmanship and resolute command have not only steered the nation with purpose but also ignited a renewed spirit of unity and pride in the hearts of all Indians”.

Noting that prior to the NDA government assuming office in 2014, “terror infrastructure was spread extensively across India” the resolution cited bomb blasts “across our big cities, be it Patna, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and even Delhi were common” and pointed out that this was not the case any longer. The resolution appreciated PM Modi for “the firmness” with which he “highlighted the new normal, which shall define our approach to such challenges.”

Three points, the alliance noted in the resolution, were significant. “First, if there is a terrorist attack on India, a fitting reply will be given…on our terms only…Secondly, India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail…Thirdly, we will not differentiate between the government sponsoring terrorism and the masterminds of terrorism,” it stated.

Operation Sindoor, the resolution added, “received immense support from India’s Nari Shakti in particular” with its nomenclature being “particularly poignant, because in our culture, Sindoor is the holy vermilion that women put on their forehead upon their marriage”.

“The coward terrorists removed the Sindoor from our women while our armed forces, through Operation Sindoor, avenged their cruelty and protected crores of Indians. Thus, the NDA Parliamentary Party hails the decisive response that delivered justice for the mothers and daughters of India, aptly named Operation Sindoor. It was indeed a powerful reflection of the nation’s resolve under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” it stated.

The NDA Parliamentary Party also noted defence reforms ushered in by PM Modi, apart from “jointness and integration” among the armed forces in the retaliation against Pakistan. “The Prime Minister’s personal commitment to ushering in the drone revolution in India proved beneficial too. Time and again, the Prime Minister said that our armed forces have a free hand to strike at the root of terrorism and that they should do it at a time and place of their choosing, which is what happened,” it added.

Crediting PM Modi with ensuring that 59 MPs from across parties visited 32 countries to present India’s point of view, the resolution hailed it as “the most comprehensive global outreach ever launched by India”.

This outreach, the resolution stated, highlighting how the country has been a victim of terror and why a terror attack in any part of the world is a crime against humanity across the globe, also saw the participation of Opposition MPs, which showed “the maturity of our democracy and the statesmanship of the Prime Minister, who believes that in matters of national interest, we are all together”.

It cited the US designating The Resistance Front as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and the BRICS Joint Declaration condemning the Pahalgam attack, avowing to “ensure zero tolerance for terrorism and reject double standards in countering terrorism”, reflecting “a win for India’s diplomatic stance against terrorism inflicted on its soil by Pakistan”.

“The developments reflect India’s rising clout on the global stage and international affirmation. In the last 11 years, the NDA Government has been working tirelessly to build a Viksit Bharat, which is strong, developed and peaceful. These efforts will continue with even greater vigour in the times to come,” it added.

Modi’s message aligned with govt’s Parliament approach

The PM’s message to the NDA MPs is being seen as being in sync with the approach of the Modi government in Parliament. The government began the session by saying that it was ready to discuss all important matters, but this could not be done all at once, but as per procedure, meaning as per what was agreed upon in the Business Advisory Committee meetings.

At the time of each disruption, the chair has made it a point to caution Opposition MPs that the nation was watching them, and that they are in Parliament to debate legislation, not to not to shout slogans or wave placards. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has also repeatedly stood up and expressed concern that the Opposition purportedly goes back on what its leadership agrees to in BAC meetings.

On Monday afternoon, as Lok Sabha was adjourned within 14 minutes of meeting after lunch, Rijiju and Jagdambika Pal, who was in the chair, said that the BAC had allotted time for discussing the National Sports Governance Bill 2025, which was very important as the government was bidding for the 2036 Olympics to be held in India.

Before adjourning the House for the day amid protests by the Opposition, Pal said that the Opposition was playing with the future of sportspersons in the country.