The Bharatiya Janata Party, which commenced its parliamentary meet on Wednesday, is expected to decide the chief ministerial candidates for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh among other matters. The meeting follows the party’s victory in the elections conducted in the two states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi got emotional while addressing his party colleagues at the meeting, NDTV reported. He described the party’s success in the elections as a “big victory” and compared it to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s government. “We are now ruling 19 states, Indira Gandhi’s [government] was in power was in 18 states,” Modi said.

During the meeting, Minister of State for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Krishna Raj took ill and had to be taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital for treatment.

Parliamentary proceedings

Both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm after several members of the Opposition stormed the well of the Houses, demanding an apology from the prime minister for his comments on his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

Modi had alleged that Singh spoke to Pakistani officials about the Gujarat elections. Singh on December 11 accused his successor of spreading “falsehoods” to “score political points” by claiming that suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had held a secret meeting with Pakistani officials.