Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha on Thursday, and used the opportunity to criticise the Opposition for continuous disruptions in Parliament. Modi quoted former Congress leader and prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, who called for boundaries in order to have fruitful debates in Parliament. Modi also quoted Indira Gandhi, who had said that India should not be portrayed as a weak nation. He said that the Opposition only disrupted Parliament because of an inferiority complex and its fear that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is more successful than earlier Congress-led governments.

Modi appealed to opposition parties and asked for their help to pass important bills that are meant for the benefit of the people of the nation. He also asked for more accountability from all parties, and their cooperation to help the nation move forward. His remarks came a day after Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP in the Lok Sabha.

Modi said that his government was learning from the failures of earlier regimes, and that if the Congress had indeed helped the poor over its six decades in power as they claim, then the impoverished would not still be facing poverty. He added that he was certain of corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme, which was launched by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in 2006. He also suggested setting aside time for first-time Members of Parliament to speak, and proposed that only women should speak on March 8 to mark Women’s Day.