Saugata Roy said that PM Modi had lowered the stature of the Prime Minister's post and political discourse so much that the even the ''pandal'' fell in West Bengal.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy created an uproar in the House when he described Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "travelling salesman" and his economic policies a "disaster". "Just like a hawker and a travelling salesman he is going to places, but he is not working. He is roaming around and giving speeches," he said. "He (Modi) went to West Bengal just like that and addressed a meeting, (but) did not announce any schemes. He has got a habit of roaming," he said. His jibes on corruption were countered by the treasury benches, by referring to Sharda and other scams hitting the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee.
The Prime Minister during his July 16 visit to West Bengal had stated that the West Bengal government allegedly had nexus with "all-pervading syndicates". "I will tell you about the Modi syndicate. There is Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi, and Bade (big) Modi, whose name I am not taking, are looting the country," the Trinamool leader said.
Saugata Roy said that PM Modi had lowered the stature of the Prime Minister's post and political discourse so much that the even the ''pandal'' fell in West Bengal. He was referring to the canopy collapse during PM Modi's Midnapore rally.
"We are living in an atmosphere of fear. Between May 1 and July 10, 81 people have been murdered in more than 10 states. Muslims have been lynched in the name of cow protection. The BJP says that it wants ''Congress-mukt Bharat'' (Congress-free India), but in fact, they want a ''Muslim-mukt Bharat'' (Muslim-free India). We want a ''Bhay-mukt Bharat'' (India free of fear). The TMC wants a society where the mind is free and the head is held high," the TMC leader said quoting Rabindranath Tagore.
He said in the recently held Lok Sabha by-elections, the BJP has lost most of the seats and was "defeated" in the Karnataka assembly polls. "I can tell you that the BJP is going to lose the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. There will be a one-to-one fight everywhere," he said.
In his speech, AIADMK leader P Venugopal accused the central government of giving step-motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu and sought more allocation of funds to the state. "We are a large contributor to the government's revenue but what we get in return, very little," he said. Venugopal alleged that Tamil Nadu has been penalised for achieving economic progress and controlling population. The AIADMK leader asked the government not to bring the Dam Safety Bill without resolving the river water disputes in the country.
Participating in the debate, Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader B Vinod Kumar claimed that the Modi government has not been able to fulfil the expectations of the people. He said the people of Telangana were annoyed with the Modi government at the outset of its rule in 2014 when a decision had been taken to merge seven 'mandals' of Khammam district of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh following bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
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 "Saugata Roy")
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