New Delhi: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday renewed his attack on the opposition, once again accusing it of not allowing the Parliament’s monsoon session to function. At a meeting of BJP MPs this morning he declared that the repeated adjournments forced by a vociferous opposition are “an insult to Parliament… the constitution… to democracy and to the public”.

This is the second time in a week the Prime Minister has lashed out at the opposition over fierce protests in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over a number of issues, including the Pegasus phone-hacking row, the government’s handling of the pandemic, and the farmers’ protest.

Last week the Prime Minister singled out the Congress and asked MPs to “expose the party before the public and the media”. He also accused the Congress of spurning attempts at resolving an impasse that has seen little, if any, work conducted in this session of Parliament.

The Prime Minister’s attack comes as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi led a breakfast meeting of 15 opposition parties in Delhi today, after which they plan to cycle to Parliament and hold a mock session outside to draw the public’s attention to their concerns.

Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra, the NCP’s Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, and the DMK’s Kanimozhi were among those present, as over a dozen opposition parties underscore a united front in their protests against the government.

Mr Gandhi led a similar meeting last week, after which he and other opposition leaders told reporters PM Modi had “inserted a weapon in our phones” – a reference to Israeli spyware Pegasus – and used it to “hit the soul of India’s democracy”.

The unrelenting face-off between the government and the opposition (who were already at odds over the Covid situation in India and the farmers’ protests) escalated sharply after allegations an Indian client of Israel’s NSO Group used Pegasus to conduct illegal surveillance on around 300 phones, including those belonging to opposition leaders and journalists critical of the government.

Little or no business has been conducted in parliament since the Pegasus row erupted July 18.

The few bills that have been passed were pushed through in minutes, earning a sarcastic “passing laws or making papri chaat?” tweet from Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.