Amid a raging controversy on issues of religious conversions and inflammatory speeches by BJP MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned his party parliamentarians not to allow “negative things” to divert attention from the “positive works” done by the government.
Addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party in Parliament House, Mr. Modi told MPs that it was their responsibility to ensure that development and good governance by the NDA government were highlighted in the political and public discourse.
Without any reference to the clamour in the Rajya Sabha for him to be present during a discussion on conversions, Mr. Modi said the government would not get diverted from its development agenda, and emphasised that the work should be visible on the ground.
This is the second time that the Prime Minister referred to controversial statements by colleagues in a roundabout away, in closed-door meetings.
After Union Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti made abusive references to BJP opponents, Mr. Modi told BJP leaders to desist from “addressing the nation.”