PM Modi skipping concluding speech at Parliament 'murder of democracy': VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan

Chennai: VCK founder and MP Thol Thirumavalavan on Friday termed the passage of the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address without a concluding speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "murder of democracy" and a first in the history of Indian Parliament.

Addressing reporters at the Chennai airport, Thirumavalavan alleged that the ruling BJP deliberately created a ruckus to silence the Opposition and avoid accountability on sensitive international and domestic issues.

"In the history of Indian Parliament, this is the first time a Motion of Thanks has been passed without the Prime Minister delivering his reply. The ruling party created an atmosphere where the Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition were not allowed to speak, pushing through the resolution with only their own members' voices," the VCK chief said.

Thirumavalavan claimed that the government resorted to these tactics to evade questions regarding the relationship between the Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump.

"The ruling side blocked the Opposition because they feared being questioned on the Trump-PM ties and several other pressing issues. This failure of the Prime Minister to address the House is a massive blot on our democracy, for which he must take responsibility," he added.

Launching a sharp attack on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over her recent remarks in Parliament, the Dalit leader accused the BJP of harboring an "anti-Tamil" sentiment.

"Under the pretext of a speech, Minister Nirmala Sitharaman displayed her inferiority complex by suggesting that Tamil is a language that cannot even be used for begging. This is the true mindset of the BJP. They are fundamentally against the Tamil language, the state of Tamil Nadu, and its people. No further evidence is needed than this," he remarked.

The VCK leader also lauded Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan for his "befitting reply" to the minister's comments in the Upper House.

"On behalf of the VCK, I congratulate and thank brother Kamal Haasan for his strong response. When he spoke in Tamil in Parliament, it was clear that those in the BJP are simply blabbering in frustration," he said.

On the party’s poll preparedness, Thirumavalavan said the VCK is in the process of drafting its election manifesto.

"A high-level committee will soon meet to decide on the manifesto. We have already initiated action plans for booth-level work, including the appointment of primary and secondary booth agents. These will be formally announced soon," he said.

Responding to a query about actor-politician Vijay's recent public appearance where he was seen dancing on stage, the Lok Sabha member said there was "nothing to comment" on the matter.