Modi slams Opposition for stalling introduction of OBC, SC ministers to Parliament

Speaker Om Birla and Parliament Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged the opposition members to allow Modi to follow convention

With an eye on the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday slammed the Opposition parties for not allowing him to introduce the new council of ministers to Parliament, accusing them of being unable to accept the progress of women, and people from scheduled castes, OBCs and tribals in public life.

Opposition members raised slogans and stormed the well in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha as Modi rose to introduce his new council of ministers as per the parliamentary convention.

“Perhaps some people are not happy if country's women, OBCs, sons of farmers become Ministers. That is why they don’t even allow their introduction,” the prime minister said in the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Parliament Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged the opposition members to allow Modi, who is also the leader of the Lok Sabha, to follow the convention of introduction of ministers to the House, but to no avail.

“Please consider the newly appointed ministers as introduced to the Lok Sabha,” Modi said.

Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha and the Prime Minister had to lay the list of new ministers on the table of the House.

‘Such a negative mindset has never been seen in Parliament,” Modi said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed the Congress in the Lok Sabha for not allowing the prime minister to introduce his council of ministers to the Parliament.

“The strength of Parliament is in maintaining healthy traditions. Both Opposition and Treasury should maintain healthy traditions. Even if one or 50 new ministers are inducted, the whole House listens to their introduction by the prime minister with decorum. This is sad, unfortunate and an unhealthy approach,” Singh said, contending that he had witnessed such an incident for the first time in his 24 years as a parliamentarian.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister added 36 new ministers to his council of ministers, with seven from Uttar Pradesh where assembly elections are due early next year.

The Cabinet expansion exercise appeared mainly to reach out to the various caste groups in Uttar Pradesh by giving them representation in the union government.

The seven ministers from Uttar Pradesh belong to Rohilkhand, Bundelkhand, Awadh and Purvanchal regions of the state with representation to scheduled castes, non-Yadav OBCs – castes groups the BJP has been trying to wean away from rival political outfits in the state.

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