Addressing the first parliamentary party meeting of the BJP in the winter session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make any mention of the recent State poll results in which the party suffered a big setback by losing power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
He did, however, pay poignant tributes to the martyrs of the December 13, 2001, attack on Parliament, late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, late Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, and MP Bhola Singh.
Speaking about Mr. Kumar, the PM recalled that in the last session itself he had told the Minister that he was looking unwell and that he should take rest or advice from doctors. “But perhaps he knew how much time he had left, so he said he wanted to do his best to keep working,” Mr. Modi said.
He also told BJP MPs that living up to the ideals of Vajpayee, who died on August 16 this year, would be the biggest tribute to the party’s stalwart.
On December 13, 2001, five gunmen stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate fire, claiming the lives of 14 people, including the watch and ward staff of the House. “These people went above and beyond the call of duty. They prevented the terrorists from turning the attack into an unthinkable tragedy,” the PM said.
