BJP turned Parliament into Rome's Colosseum where PM enters 'like gladiator': Mahua Moitra
India Today
Hitting out at the BJP in Lok Sabha, TMC's Mahua Moitra said the government has turned Parliament into Rome's Colosseum, with the prime minister entering "like a gladiator".
TMC leader Mahua Moitra on Tuesday slammed the BJP in Lok Sabha, saying its government has turned Parliament into Rome's Colosseum where the prime minister enters "like a gladiator" to the chants of 'Modi, Modi', an apparent reference to the welcome he received from the ruling party members after the victory in four states.
Participating in the discussion on the demands for grants for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 2022-23, Moitra also listed the names of women who have etched their names in the annals of Indian civil aviation history, saying they are the ones who "truly deserve" applause.
The firebrand Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader cited former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remarks in Parliament in 1972 when he said, "These days the atmosphere in New Delhi makes one choke. It is not easy to breathe freely. The chanting of the prime minister's name on All India Radio from morning to night, saturated propaganda on cinema screens, how can people sitting in the Opposition fight this?"
Moitra said, "It is India's greatest tragedy perhaps that the very party Vajpayee ji led as prime minister today leads a government that has turned this very same Parliament into the Colosseum in Rome in the 1st century where, like a gladiator, the honourable prime minister enters to chants of Modi, Modi."
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Her remarks came in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by thumping of desks and chanting of his name by the BJP members in Lok Sabha when the budget session resumed and the House met for the first time after the saffron party's victory in four states.
Some of her remarks that appeared targeted at the chair were expunged later.