Bills can wait, there’s a PM to praise: Ramesh’s Parliament bombshell, BJP fires back

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has triggered a sharp political confrontation after likening scenes in Parliament to the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, alleging that ruling party MPs spend more time praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi than debating legislation.

In an interview, Ramesh said that whenever the Prime Minister enters the House, there is table thumping and sloganeering of “Modi, Modi, Modi,” creating an atmosphere he described as unprecedented in India’s parliamentary history. According to him, “whatever the issue, 90 per cent of the speech” from treasury benches revolves around praise for the Prime Minister rather than the subject under discussion.

Calling the present governance structure a “one-man show,” Ramesh argued that foreign policy, economic announcements and major national decisions are increasingly projected as the achievement of a single individual. He contrasted this with earlier eras under leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, stating that Parliament did not witness sustained slogan-shouting even during historic moments.

On foreign policy, he accused the government of diluting India’s strategic autonomy . Referring to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent military operations, Ramesh said both the initial assault and the response were unacceptable. He alleged that India appeared too closely aligned with Israel , and suggested that key global announcements concerning India were being made from Washington rather than New Delhi .

The Congress backed his remarks, insisting the issue was about institutional balance and parliamentary dignity , not personalities. Party leaders described their stance as a nationalist defence of India’s independent foreign policy tradition , rejecting suggestions that their criticism reflected ideological bias.

The BJP, however, responded with force. In Kerala, state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar dismissed the comparison as irresponsible and accused the Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, of pushing a narrative that India’s democracy and Constitution are under threat . He said the chants in Parliament reflect the Prime Minister’s electoral mandate in 2014, 2019 and 2024 , arguing that public trust, not orchestration, explains the visible support. Chandrasekhar also criticised the Congress and the CPI(M) for what he termed selective outrage over West Asia , alleging silence on developments that could affect thousands of Malayalis working in Gulf nations.