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Your voice matters, PM Narendra Modi tells Opposition on day one of Lok Sabha session

He also had a word of advice for the elected representatives of the Lok Sabha.

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PM Modi arrives for budget session of Parliament in Delhi on Monday
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi began the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha by seeking active participation of the opposition parties and asking them not to "worry" about their small numbers, as their voices are key to the running of the democratic system.

"The opposition need not worry about their numbers in the Lok Sabha as every word of theirs is valuable (for democracy). I hope they speak actively and participate in the House proceedings," Prime Minister Modi said in his customary opening remarks before kicking off the first day of the budget session in the monsoon.

He also had a word of advice for the elected representatives of the Lok Sabha.

"When we come to Parliament, we should forget paksh (ruling party) and vipaksh (opposition). We should think about issues with a nishpaksh (non-partisan) spirit and work in the larger interest of the nation… An MP has the responsibility of not only his constituency but the whole country," he said.

Not ready to take the Prime Minister's words on face value, the Congress said it would wait for his assurances to reflect in the functioning of the parliament and its processes.

The party said it hoped the opposition would not be bulldozed by the ruling party's "brute majority", as it was in the tenure of the last NDA government.

"In the last five years what we have seen is disrespect to Parliament, where the bills were brought by the government and because of its brute majority in the Lok Sabha, Parliament was treated as a rubber stamp," said senior Congress leader Anand Sharma.

The Congress, for the second consecutive Lok Sabha elections, failed to get the tag of the principal opposition party, as the BJP virtually decimated all opposition by securing 303 seats in the parliamentary elections. The tally is even higher for the coalition the BJP leads. The National Democratic Alliance together bagged 358 seats in the 543-member house.

Meanwhile, none among the opposition parties has the required 10 per cent of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats or 54 MPs, which is required if a party is to claim the post of the Leader of the Opposition.

The largest opposition party, Congress, has managed to send 52 MPs to the lower house, and so falls short by two members to acquire the status of the designated opposition party.

However, it can still get the post of the Leader of the Opposition if the Speaker so desires and the ruling party shows magnanimity and makes a concession.

The Congress has decided not to demand the post like it did in 2014 after getting 44 seats. The request was then turned down by the government.

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