Congress not letting Parliament run, expose them: PM Modi tells BJP MPs

New Delhi, July 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed the Congress for not allowing the functioning of the monsoon session of parliament, demanding discussions on the Pegasus phone-hacking row, the farm laws and other issues.

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting, the prime minister also asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs to expose the opposition parties as the government is ready for a discussion but they are not.

PM Modi cited the Congress' boycott of last week's all-party meeting, where a presentation was made by the Health Ministry on Covid-19 management and preparation for the third wave, and said the party had also prevented others from attending. He also urged the ministers and MPs to have good relationship with Opposition MPs, for the smooth functioning of the house.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament began Monday on a disruptive note after the Opposition tried to block Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attempts to introduce his new council of ministers.

Both Houses of Parliament have transacted little business since the Monsoon session began on July 19 as opposition parties have forced adjournments with their protests.

The Opposition has also been demanding a discussion over Pegasus snooping allegations.

Last week, an international media consortium reported that over 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including those of two ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India, could have been targeted for snooping through the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli firm NSO Group, which only sells the hacking software to "vetted" governments and government agencies.

The government has been denying all opposition allegations in the matter.