Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for staying away during a debate on the controversial Rafale defence procurement deal in the Lok Sabha, Janata Dal (Secular) national president H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday said the Prime Minister’s absence had only given rise to more suspicion.
Mr. Gowda told reporters here that it was not good for the Prime Minister to stay away when he was facing a volley of charges from the Opposition on the Rafale deal and allow the Defence Minister to answer. “He has not set a good precedent by doing so and instead speaking his mind during a TV interview,” he said.
“The Defence Minister argued well, but that is a different matter. The charges are against the Prime Minister. In my opinion, be it a Prime Minister or any other leader, when there is a charge he should come before the House. Why is the Prime Minister not responding to the questions in the House,” he asked, but refused to term it “escapism”.
‘Strengthen party’
Exhorting JD(S) workers to put in their best and strengthen the party by February-end, he said, “We will form committees and come out with a strategy wherein all communities will be involved in strengthening the party ... In these two months, we need to understand why we got 37 seats in the Assembly elections.”