Oppn lacks confidence after poll defeats, vents frustration in Parliament: Kiren Rijiju (AHN Exclusive)

New Delhi, Aug 19 (AHN) Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday asserted that the Opposition lacks confidence after facing repeated defeats in several elections and hence resorts to venting frustration during the Parliament session.

His remarks came in response to a query on the INDIA bloc members engaging in creating disturbances during the Monsoon session of Parliament.

In an exclusive interview with AHN, Rijiju said, "The Opposition is currently somewhat fragmented and lacks confidence. When they fail to win elections, they vent their frustration in Parliament."

He also added that if Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had wanted, the Opposition MPs would not have resorted to creating a ruckus in Parliament during the recently concluded Monsoon session.

The Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister also mentioned that Home Minister Amit Shah used to remain present on the Parliament premises during the Monsoon session; however, due to the Opposition's sloganeering and ruckus, he did not attend the proceedings.

"I have met Rahul Gandhi and also spoken to him on the phone. I respect him a lot because he is the Leader of the Opposition and a senior leader. However, our efforts towards smooth functioning of the Parliament were not successful. Everyone knows that if Rahul Gandhi wanted, the Congress MPs would not resort to abuses, sloganeering, and ruckus during the House proceedings. Rahul Gandhi is the only leader in the Congress who can correct the behaviour of his MPs," he added.

When asked about the Opposition's statements that Home Minister Amit Shah was absent during the House proceedings, Rijiju said that the Home Minister used to come to Parliament every day; however, the Opposition still continued with the baseless claims.

"The Home Minister (Amit Shah) used to come to Parliament (during the Monsoon session) and remain there from morning till evening. He cannot really go amid the ruckus, can he? They (the Opposition) are just resorting to spreading rumours," he added.