Key Points

“The Bharatiya Janata Party has consistently maintained that the individual comes after the party, and the party comes after the nation, the nation is always our top priority. Shashi Tharoor has expressed more or less the same view, and I welcome his statement,” Khandelwal said while speaking to IANS.

He further emphasised the need for political consensus on matters of national security and interest. “When it comes to national issues, there should be no room for political differences. The nation comes first, politics later,” he added.

Khandelwal’s remarks come in response to Tharoor’s recent statement in which the senior Congress leader, who represents Thiruvananthapuram, stressed the importance of cooperation across party lines when national security and interests are at stake.

“Politics is, unfortunately or otherwise, in any democracy, about competition. And as a result, when people like me say that we respect our parties, we have certain values and convictions that keep us in our parties, but we need to cooperate with other parties in the interests of national security,” Tharoor said.

The Congress MP has recently faced criticism from within his party for statements that some allege are too conciliatory towards the ruling party.

On the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, Khandelwal also addressed the legislative agenda. “There are many legislative works to be completed in the Monsoon Session, including the passage of about eight bills, along with several other tasks. I hope that the opposition will play a constructive role during the session,” he said.

“The purpose of the House is to hold discussions, and meaningful debates should take place on every issue. If the opposition comes with a positive attitude, I believe that together we can fulfil the aspirations of the people through the Parliament,” he added.

The Monsoon Session is set to begin on July 21 and continue till August 21, with 21 sittings scheduled.

- IANS