NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, replying to the motion of thanks on President's address in the Rajya Sabha, took a dig at Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien for using phrases which the PM said were better suited to describe the situation in West Bengal.
The Prime Minister said that when he was listening to the Rajya Sabha member talk about 'freedom of speech', he was wondering if O'Brien was referring to Bengal.
"I was listening to Shri Derek. Great words were being used. Freedom of Speech. Intimidation. Hounding. When I was listening to all this, I was wondering if he is talking about West Bengal," said the PM.
"..it is natural for him. This is what he sees and listens to for 24 hours. So I thought he might have mistakenly said those things here too," said Modi.
#WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks about TMC MP Derek O'Brien and Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa who spoke in Rajya Sabha, ahead of his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.
— ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2021
(Video Source: Rajya Sabha TV) pic.twitter.com/0Jq60p6Frb
O'Brien had earlier attacked the government over farmers' protest and asked the Centre to take care of Delhi first and then West Bengal.
On February 4, O'Brien had also interrupted his speech to observe a minute's silence in the House along with other opposition leaders, mainly the Congress, to pay tribute to farmers who had lost their lives during the two-month agitation.
PM Modi's direct criticism of O'Brien's remarks comes in the backdrop of BJP and TMC being locked in a bitter political battle ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled this year.
Netaji's vision being forgotten: PM
PM Modi during his motion of thanks speech also said that people have raised questions over India's democracy while forgetting that India is not just the largest democracy in the world but the "mother of democracy"
"India's nationalism is based on Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram as said by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. We have lost Netaji's vision over the years, and today we are searching for ourselves," said the PM.
Just last month, TMC and BJP both in an attempt to claim the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had organized Parikrama Diwas celebrations on January 23 observing birth anniversary of one of India's tallest freedom fighters.