Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday slammed Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien for comparing Parliamentary proceedings with making 'papri chaat'.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi urged Derek O'Brien not to turn Parliament into a fish market. The Union Minister said that it's part of a conspiracy to malign Parliament's dignity.
"If he's allergic to 'chaat-papri', he can have fish curry. But don't turn Parliament into fish market. Unfortunately, the manner in which work is being done with conspiracy to malign Parliament's dignity, was never seen before," Naqvi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"If you malign the dignity of the Parliament, such activities are neither in their interest nor ours. It is not even in the interest of Parliament traditions," he added.
Referring to passage of bills in Parliament, the TMC leader on Monday had said on Twitter, “In the first 10 days, Modi-Shah rushed through and passed 12 Bills at an average time of UNDER SEVEN MINUTES per Bill...Passing legislation or making papri chaat!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also disapproved of the TMC MP’s comment. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's disapproval of his 'papri chaat' comment on passing of bills, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien on Tuesday said his intention was to use a cultural idiom to connect with the people over the serious issue and asked if the PM would be happier if he used the word "dhokla" instead.
He stressed that the real issue was the hurried passing of bills in both the Houses without any discussions and even went on to say that the prime minister's reaction showed that the "TMC is setting the agenda".
"The TMC is setting the agenda and the PM is replying. Nowhere has the PM disputed the number we have put out of seven minutes. It is a cultural idiom that people understand. Would PM be happier if I used 'dhokla' instead?" the Trinamool Congress leader later told reporters.
"I speak in the language of the people. I have taken a serious fact and used a popular cultural idiom to spread the message," O'Brien said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
