PM Modi Says No 'Videshi Chingari' To Disrupt Budget Session, Oppn Slams Remark

PM Modi accused the Opposition of relying on foreign interference to create disruptions in Parliament sessions.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi slammed PM Modi over his 'videshi chingari' remark.

Source : PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a dig at the Opposition with 'videshi chingari' remark ahead of the commencement of the Parliament's Budget Session. Addressing the media, Modi said that for the first time since 2014, no foreign attempt has been made to stoke trouble before a Parliament session.

"You must have noticed, since 2014, this is the first Parliament session, which saw no 'videshi chingari' (foreign interference) in our affairs, in which no foreign forces tried to ignite a fire," Modi said.

"I had noticed this before every budget session. And many in our country leave no stone unturned to fan these sparks...," he added.

PM Modi was referring to several reports and incidents that took place ahead of the Parliament session in the recent past. Those reports or incidents were raked up by the Opposition resulting in frequent adjournments leading to reduced productivity in both the Houses.

Congress slammed Modi for the remark saying he is diverting from the public issues. "He has to say something, doesn't talk on public issues," Congrees MP Priyanka Gandhi said while speaking to ABP News. Party leader Rajiv Shukla also said that Modi "misguides" the public.

Here are some of the issues that PM Modi referred to in his address.

July 2021: Pegasus Issue

On July 18, 2021, a media report claimed that the phone numbers of over 40 Indian journalists and politicians appeared in a list believed to be possible candidates for surveillance using Israel-made 'Pegasus software.

The Wire, in its report, claimed that forensic test confirmed some of these Indian journalists were successfully snooped upon by an unidentified agency using Pegasus spyware.

Later media reports claimed that over 40 journalists, 3 prominent opposition leaders, 1 constitutional authority, 2 serving ministers in the Narendra Modi government, current and former heads and officials of security organizations, and a large number of businessmen were also part of the list.

The Centre dismissed the report but opposition raked up the issue in the ensuing Monsoon session of the Parliament which began on July 19, 2021.

January 2023: Hindenburg Report, BBC Documentary

The Parliament was again rocked in January 2023 during the Budget Session which began on January 30 by two issues including a documentary by BBC on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

New Delhi criticised the BBC for its two-part documentary series titled 'India: The Modi Question' calling it a "propaganda piece" and questioning the purpose and the agenda behind it.

A report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research alleging Adani Group of being involved in a stock manipulation" and "accounting fraud scheme" also led to an uproar in the Parliament as opposition parties demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe over the allegation.

The conglomerate chief, Gautam Adani dismissed the allegation as "nothing but a lie" and likened the charges to a "calculated attack" on India.

November 2024: Indictment of Adani by US Court

On November 21, prosecutors in the US charged Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts.

The allegations were dismissed by Adani but the opposition parties, including Congress, created a huge uproar in the ensuing winter session that began on November 25 demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses of Parliament.