New Delhi, February 16 Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Monday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his interview with PTI, calling it "empty words," while he "avoided" speaking in Parliament.
O'Brien, the TMC's leader in the Rajya Sabha, also mocked the prime minister, calling him a "teleprompter tycoon."
"More empty words from PM Modi, also known as the 'Teleprompter Tycoon,' who avoids speaking on the floor of Parliament," O'Brien told PTI, in response to the interview.
In an unprecedented development, the Lok Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks during the recently concluded Budget session without the prime minister's customary reply, in the face of relentless slogans from opposition members.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla later said he had "concrete information" that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Modi's seat and carry out "some unexpected act" as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
Modi had replied to the debate on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha, during which the opposition parties staged a walkout. The PM on Sunday hailed the latest Budget and a spate of global trade deals signed by his government as foundations for Viksit Bharat, and urged the private sector to step in "more aggressively" and "boldly" now.
In a wide-ranging interview with PTI, Modi criticized the UPA government for failing to achieve substantial trade agreements, and asserted that women will play the "most important role" in Viksit Bharat.
He said political stability and predictability have restored investor confidence in India and that stronger manufacturing, services, and MSMEs have enabled it to negotiate free trade pacts with 38 countries from a "position of strength."