'PM tarnishing democracy by not speaking in Parl, speaks outside'

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge continued to be at his sarcastic best as he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tarnishing democracy by not speaking in Parliament and instead making political speeches outside.

He said the country has not seen a "darker period than this" in the history of its parliamentary democracy. Kharge also dubbed the central government as a "blot on humanity" for its "indifference" towards Manipur, which he said was "burning" for the past 85 days.

People have now become aware and will fight "this kind of politics", he said.

"Parliament session is going on and instead of speaking on the floor, the prime minister is making speeches here and there. By doing so he is tarnishing democracy. The misdeeds of the Modi government cannot be erased by calling opposition parties names," Kharge said.

The Congress chief also hit out at the BJP, accusing the party of not allowing him to speak in the Rajya Sabha and for jeering at opposition members for wearing black clothes in Parliament as a mark of protest over the Manipur issue.

"Only those having a mindset against Dalits, tribals and backward people can make fun of black clothes. But for us, black is a symbol of protest and strength. "Black is a symbol of justice and dignity. The people of Manipur deserve justice, peace and respect," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Opposition members on Thursday wore black clothes as a mark of protest for not allowing them to raise the Manipur issue.