File Photo: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
Stepping up attack on Congress over the virtually washed-out monsoon session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkiah Naidu today said Sonia Gandhi's trooping into the well of Lok Sabha shows the level of the "frustration of that party".
Alleging that Congress was blocking the development agenda of the government by not allowing passage of various important bills, Mr Naidu said it was a challenge before democracy and vowed to expose the opposition's "disruptive" agenda before the public.
Talking to the Press Trust of India after the meeting of NDA Parliamentary Party, Mr Naidu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon lawmakers to reach out to the entire country and apprise people about the purpose behind obstruction tactics of Congress.
"The PM said there is a need to effectively counter their disinformation and also expose undemocratic, obstructive practice of the Congress," he said.
Mr Naidu said the BJP, along with other NDA constituents, have decided to start a nationwide campaign to expose the anti-democratic behaviour of the Congress and counter its disinformation campaign.
"Senior ministers and MPs will go across the country. The programme will go on for a month. The primary focus will be on constituencies that elected those MPs who are obstructing the House and those blocking legislations," Mr Naidu said.
Sources in the BJP, meanwhile, said that the focus of the campaign will be on constituencies from where Congress and Left MPs have been elected.
"We will be forming groups of five MPs plus one minister. They have to cover all these areas," Mr Naidu said when asked about the format of the group.
"We have majority in Lok Sabha, but not in Rajya Sabha. It will also happen in some time and we will move forward," he said when told that major legislations were being stalled.
Mr Naidu, however, parried a question about the possibility of the government calling a special session and merely said, "everybody knows what is in the Constitution".
Attacking Congress over disruption, he said, "Yesterday, Congress President (Sonia Gandhi) going herself to the Well of the House shows the levels of the frustration of that party." He alleged that the Congress has flouted all the rules, regulations and decorum of the House.
"They have even obstructed Speaker and Deputy Speaker from performing their responsibilities. They have threatened them with organised protests in front of Speaker's House, burnt her effigies thereby issuing a threat that if you follow the rules, we will punish you. They have thrown papers on the Deputy Speaker. They have blocked the minister's reply," Mr Naidu said.
"All this is aimed at obstructing the growth of the country. They do not want the Modi government to succeed. They made all allegations against Sushma Swaraj for last two months, made speeches but were not willing to allow Swaraj to respond," he added.