NEW DELHI, Feb 6: On Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not engage in campaigning for anyone in the US, criticizing Congress Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain for his claims.
Addressing a supplementary question in the Upper House, Jaishankar expressed, “The member seems to have a party bias and keeps repeating falsehoods in the House. The prime minister did not campaign for anyone. This is not the first instance of this party making such claims. I request him to retract this.”
Hussain contended that the Indian prime minister campaigned in another nation and added that “Modi ji’s ally assaulted Indians soon after taking office as president.”
Hussain, along with other Congress members, objected to Jaishankar’s remarks, asserting that he could not resort to “unparliamentary” language.
“The foreign minister cannot employ unparliamentary language,” he stated.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh, presiding over the session, remarked that Hussain’s comment would not be recorded as it was unrelated to his inquiry regarding “the monitoring of Indian students abroad in post-conflict situations.”
“(According to) Rule 238, a member must seek permission from the chairman before making allegations against anyone holding a constitutional office. Nothing will be recorded,” Harivansh clarified.
In response to an additional supplementary question, Jaishankar affirmed that the government diligently tracks the number of students in various countries.
“We also closely monitor their well-being. In situations of tension or potential violence, we alert the students, as we did during the Ukraine crisis,” he noted.
“Whenever there is a need for us to take additional measures, like arranging a flight for their evacuation or any similar scenarios, we are prepared with contingency plans,” he added. (Agencies)
