Rahul Gandhi's 'No Comment' Reply To PM's Jabs, Priyanka Gandhi's Retort

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, refused to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scathing attack on the Congress and other Opposition parties ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament.

Gandhi's sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, however, responded sharply to the Prime Minister's remarks. Asked about the Prime Minister's charges of the Opposition disrupting Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi said issues like SIR and air pollution affect the masses. "Let us discuss them. What is the Parliament for? It's not drama. Speaking about and raising issues is not drama. Drama is not allowing democratic discussions about issues that matter to the public," she said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister took swipes at the Opposition and said he hoped that Parliament would not become the site of a "meltdown" after the Opposition bloc's rout in the Bihar election. "There are a lot of places to do drama. Those who want to do it should do it. There should be no drama here; there should be delivery," he said, referring to protests and chaos in the Houses.

The Prime Minister said "negativity" should be kept within limits and attention given to nation-building. In a dig at Congress and other Opposition parties, the Prime Minister said that in some states, there is so much anti-incumbency after their rule that they cannot go to the people. "And that is why all the anger comes to the Parliament. Some parties have started a new tradition of using the Parliament." The Prime Minister said the Opposition should realise that such tactics are not working. "I am ready to give tips on how they should perform." But allow the MPs to express themselves. Don't sacrifice MPs for your disappointment and defeat," he said.

The Winter Session, which began today, will end on December 19 and feature 15 sittings. The government plans to introduce 13 Bills and the Opposition has prepped to build pressure on the issue of Special Intensive Revision of voter lists.