Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) parliamentary party meeting, in what was his first address to the MPs of the ruling bloc during the first session of Parliament since he assumed office for a third term.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister advised all NDA MPs to not behave the way Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did in the Lok Sabha.
The Prime Minister, referring to the Opposition, also said some have become restless as no prime minister, after Jawaharlal Nehru, has been able to win three consecutive terms, a milestone achieved by a 'tea-seller'.
The NDA meeting comes amid discussions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu's address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
After the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while speaking to reporters, said, "Today, the Prime Minister gave us an important mantra. He said that every MP has been elected to the House to serve the nation. Irrespective of the party they belong to, service to the nation is our first responsibility."
"Every NDA MP has to work by prioritizing the country. The PM also guided us well regarding the conduct of MPs and said that every MP should present the matters of their constituency in the House very well as per the rules. He also told us to develop expertise in other major issues of interest," Rijiju said.
"The Prime Minister also made one request. Every MP, along with their family, should visit the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, behind which there was no political agenda. This was an effort to let the entire country know of the contribution of each prime minister, appreciate it, and learn from it," the Union Minister said.
Speaking to reporters about the meet, Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan said, "Learning from the Prime Minister's experience, when we have seen Parliamentary traditions being flouted recently, means a lot. We got his guidance on it today."
Later today, PM Modi is also expected to reply to the discussions in both Houses.
Official sources told news agency PTI that all members of Parliament of the BJP and its allies were notified about today's meeting and were asked to attend it.
Though the Prime Minister in the past has addressed the NDA MPs on a few occasions, especially when he was elected as their leader ahead of all his three terms, he generally speaks at the meetings of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs during sessions.
The development assumes significance as the BJP, for the first time since 2014, has lost the majority in the Lok Sabha in the recently held polls and depends on its allies for the government's continuation.
On Monday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until 11 am on Tuesday.
While Rahul Gandhi stirred a row with his remarks on Hinduism, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "divisive" speeches during the Lok Sabha elections.
The two Houses took up the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address with PM Modi slamming Rahul Gandhi during his speech.
"Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter," PM Modi said.
Later, Home Minister Amit Shah also demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi.
While the BJP held a press conference later to denounce Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Congress also held an evening presser to slam the ruling party at the Centre.
