Blaming the opposition for failing to cooperate with the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the Rajya Sabha members should reflect the feeling of the elected government of their state, not just of their party.
Responding to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks to President Pranab Mukherjee for his address to the joint session of both houses of parliament, Modi said: "This is the council of states. Many members, when they were elected, the mood of the people was different and now it has changed.
"Political situation has changed and so has mandate," he said.
"Being the council of states, the feelings of the state, and of elected government of the state must be represented here. Along with the party one represents, it is important to also represent the government of the day in the state."
"This house must respect the mandate of people, and the expectation with which the people have elected a government. Along with criticism, for the sake of taking the nation ahead it is our combined responsibility to cooperate," the prime minister said.
"Secondly, in democracy threats have never worked. For 14 years in Gujarat, I got letters threatening to send me to jail every day. I knew the games that were going on," Modi, a former Gujarat chief minister, said while appearing aggressive in a house where the ruling alliance is in minority.