'Change yourself or there'll be changes,' PM Modi warns BJP MPs
New Delhi: In a stern warning to BJP MPs absent from, or irregular in attending Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled them up on Tuesday, with sources saying that he has warned them to "change yourself or there will be changes".
The Prime Minister — who has repeatedly advised his party MPs and ministers to be disciplined, punctual and not speak out of turn — chided BJP leaders for behaving 'like children'. "Even children don't like being told so many times," he added.
"Please be regular in attending Parliament and meetings. It is not good for me to continuously stress about this (and treat you) like children. If you don't change yourself, there will be spontaneous changes in due course," he said at a meeting of the BJP's parliamentary party in Delhi on Tuesday.
He even sent out messages for 'live contact' with commoners, farmers, party workers or eminent personalities.
For the first time, this meeting was chaired by Modi outside the Parliament premises, at Dr Ambedkar International Centre here at Janpath Road, as there is some construction work going on at the Parliament auditorium.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister asked party MPs to organise programmes in their respective constituencies to felicitate the Padma awardees as "Padma Awards have been conferred upon common citizens who are doing good work."
He further asked all the BJP parliamentarians to organise "live or one-to-one interaction" with the district presidents, Mandal presidents or party's other committee chairpersons. However, PM Modi praised BJP national president JP Nadda for curating the programme for reaching out more at the micro-level. The Prime Minister also added that he will be having "chai pe charcha" with the district president and Mandal president of Varanasi during his visit to his constituency on December 14.
Moreover, he has also directed the party MPs to organise sports events at their respective constituencies, targeting youth and to host "Kisan Sammelan" for a better connect with farmers.
The parliamentary party meeting of BJP is being held by the Prime Minister every Tuesday during the Parliament session.
The Prime Minister's words of warning come as the BJP faces a furious Opposition in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, with the ruling party cornered on a variety of issues, including 14 civilian deaths after the botched Army op in Nagaland's Mon district on Saturday.
The government also faces fury over the suspension of 12 Opposition MPs for this session; the MPs were suspended for their role in shocking chaos that marred the final day of the previous session.
