Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government was willing to discuss every issue with an open mind in Parliament while emphasising that the dignity of the two Houses and the presiding officers should be upheld.

”Voices against government policies should be forceful but the dignity of Parliament and the Chair should be upheld. We should maintain the sort of conduct that will inspire younger generations,” he said while talking to the media ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament.

The PM hoped the session would be rich in ideas and would witness positive debates. ”I hope Parliament should be judged by how it functions and its significant contributions rather than by who disrupted Parliament forcefully. This cannot be the benchmark. The benchmark would be how many hours Parliament worked and how much positive work was done,” he added.

The government was ready to answer every question. It desired that there should be questions in Parliament and peace should also prevail, he said.

Modi noted that the session was being held at a time when the country was celebrating the ”Amrit Mahotsav” of freedom. Ordinary citizens from across India were pitching in by organising several programmes and taking steps to fulfill the dreams of the freedom fighters in the public and national interest. These stories were a good sign for the bright future of India.

He pointed out that recently the entire country made a resolution on Constitution Day to fulfill the spirit of the Constitution with a new resolution. ”In this context, all of us and every citizen of the country would like this session and subsequent sessions of Parliament to hold discussions in the interest of the country and find new ways for the development of the country according to the spirit of the freedom fighters and the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom.”

The PM noted that since the last session, the country has administered more than 100 crore Covid vaccine doses and was now moving fast towards the figure of 150 crore. ”We should be alert to the new variant. I also request all the Members of Parliament and to you also to be alert, because everyone’s health is our priority in this hour of crisis,” he told the media personnel.

A scheme to provide food grains free of cost under the ”Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana” was going on so that more than 80 crore citizens of the country do not suffer any more during this Corona period. Now it has been extended till March 2022, he said.