New Delhi: The CPI(M) on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister for "hijacking" sanctity of debate on motion of thanks to President into "election propaganda" ahead of UP polls and accused the Centre of jettisoning Parliamentary norms to ensure benefits for BJP.
The Left party accused the Prime Minister of shying away from answering issues raised by Parliamentarians including that of demonetisation and instead engaging in "rhetoric and sloganeering" and also charged him with "lowering" level of debates in Parliament by making certain remark.
Speaking to reporters, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Left party will insist the Prime Minister to face questions when Narendra Modi replies to the motion in the Upper House tomorrow.
"We have taken serious objection to the fact that the sanctity of debate on the motion of thanks to the President is being hijacked into election propaganda by the Prime Minister.
"Now this is something that is very serious thing, which has not happened in the Parliament earlier. I think the Parliamentary norms are being jettisoned for the sake of their political benefits," Yechury alleged.
The Marxist leader, accompanied by the Left party's Lok Sabha MP Mohammed Salim, accused the government of scheduling the Prime Minister's reply in the Rajya Sabha, when many of the opposition members are likely to be in Uttar Pradesh for campaigning.
The ruling party does not enjoy majority in Rajya Sabha. Stating that the Prime Minister's reply in Rajya Sabha may eat into "important" time of Zero Hour, when issues of public importance are raised, Yechury also suggested Modi to address the Upper House towards the end of discussions.
"And we only want to remind the BJP and the PM that the last two years on the debate of motion of thanks to the President in Rajya Sabha, there were amendments moved and carried, on both occasions the ruling party lost vote," he warned, adding the CPI(M) will mobilise its full strength in Rajya Sabha tomorrow.
Salim, noted it was unfortunate that the Prime Minister did not allegedly touch upon the issues raised by opposition members in Lok Sabha.
On the advancing of budget and the government's claims that it will help Ministrys plan their spending from day one of the fiscal, Yechury alleged it is the argument to cover up for some other political motive the government has.
When asked about what is the motive, he alleged, "That motive is to slowly inch India back into a January-December financial year to keep it in conformity and needs of international finance capital.
"Most of the countries have financial years from January to December and India should also move to that. They don't have the courage to say that publicly." he said.
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