Modi concerned at 'attempts' to justify Parliament breach

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at opposition parties over their protests in Parliament and asserted that their conduct will ensure that their numbers go further down in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls while the Bharatiya Janata Party gains in numbers.

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party, Modi also expressed concern at "attempts" to justify Parliament security breach, saying it is as worrisome as the incident itself, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had recently blamed unemployment and price rise for the Parliament breach on December 13, when two protesters jumped into the lower house chamber and opened smoke cans.

The prime minister said everyone believing in democracy and democratic values should have collectively condemned what had happened.

"How can a party believing in democratic values overtly or covertly justify it," he said, according to BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Opposition parties are rattled by their rout in the recent assembly polls and disrupting Parliament in frustration, the prime minister said, asking BJP members to maintain restrain and follow democratic norms.

With INDIA bloc parties meeting on Tuesday to formulate their strategy against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Modi said their goal is throw out his government but his government's goal is to ensure a bright future for the country.

He also advised BJP MPs to visit border villages after the session.