Modi slams opposition for disrupting parliament

Kollam (Kerala), Dec 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Dec 14 slammed the opposition for disrupting both houses of parliament, saying it was working on the basis of three Ds -- disrupt, destruct and demolish.

Modi said this after unveiling a statue of late former chief minister and state Congress president R. Sankar, who transformed Hindu Ezhava social group Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam.

He took on the opposition, saying things were not going the way they should have.

"After the results of the Lok Sabha polls, some people have been sent home, and they are now creating problems.," Modi said.

"Last week, the President of India spoke in Kolkata, but no one is saying a word of what he said," he added.

He said President Pranab Mukherjee referred to three Ds -- debate, dissent and decision -- for a strong functional democracy.

Instead, "these people are involved in their own set of three Ds -- disrupt, destruct and demolish," the prime minister said, referring to the opposition.

Along with the three Ds the president spoke about, Modi said his government has added another D -- development.

"I assure all of you before the newly unveiled statue of Sankar, that all the development needs of Kerala will be taken up by the Centre. We will leave nothing out when it comes to development of Kerala and we will always be there," he said.

Paying a glowing tribute to the visionary leader, Modi said that while some people remain in the chair of chief minister and prime minister for many years, they are not remembered after a while.

"Sankar was chief minister for just two years, but his visionary ideas and the policies of the revered Sree Narayana Guru, which he (Sankar) took up, have helped his memory live on for so many years even after he passed away," the prime minister said.

"Some leaders are as good as dead while they are alive, while some are remembered for a few years after their death. But very few leaders like Sankar continue to be remembered even after many years of their death," he added.

Sankar was chief minister from 1962 to 1964.

"It was Sankar and Mannathu Padmanabhan who worked for a Hindu Maha Mandalam here, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who was a Jana Sangh leader then, was invited to inaugurate the event."

"But Mookerjee could not come as he fell sick, but after that, when he was on a visit to Thiruvananthapuram, he invited Sankar to meet him," Modi recalled.

The function to unveil the statue created an uproar in parliament on Monday, after Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was first invited to preside over the function and later asked to keep away.

SNDP general secretary Vellapalli Natesan, however, avoided the issue in his address and instead drew Modi's attention to the development of Sabarimala temple and turn it into a national pilgrimage centre.

"We demand that the central university in Kerala be named after Sree Narayana Guru. We would like central assistance to our micro finance scheme. Also the much talked about Sabari railway line should become a reality," said Natesan.

On Natesan's demands, Modi said: "He has asked for several things which include demands for Sabarimala, including a railway line, renaming the central university... but I cannot make any announcement now as parliament is in session."

Meanwhile, in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, Congress workers vent their anger after Chandy was left out of the meeting.

The party organised a prayer meeting in front of Sankar's statue in front of the legislative assembly, which was attended by the top brass, including Chandy and state Congress president V.M. Sudheeran among others.

IANS