The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday conducted a parliamentary board meeting, even as the counting of votes for the recently concluded five-phased assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand was taking place.
Senior party members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, party elder Lal Krishna Advani and all members of parliament (MPs), among other leaders, were present at the meeting.
"Among the many issues discussed at the meeting, it was decided that 'Good Governance Day', which is to be observed on December 25, will see a number of programmes, including one for the poor. A bhajan sandhya will also be held in honour of [former prime minister]Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Rajiv Pratap Rudy told the media.
"It was also decided that wherever Christmas is being celebrated, there should be active participation by parliamentarians. The party believes in the respect of every religion," he added.
Rudy further stated that having a strong presence in the Lok Sabha was paying dividends. "The country has suffered due to the frequent disruptions by the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, but the work done in the Lok Sabha is visible to all," he said.
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"Prime Minister Modi further stated that every MP should be an institution of progress, and had welcomed suggestions from all members with respect to the upcoming Budget session," he added.
On Monday, the Rajya Sabha failed to conduct legislative business for the sixth day in succession after leaders of the opposition parties demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement on the conversion issue. The opposition also alleged that the government had backtracked on its promises on the issues of black money and unemployment.