Demonetisation row: Congress, BSP demand PM Modi's presence in Rajya Sabha

The opposition leaders in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday demanded the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upper house of Parliament to listen to their views on demonetisation.

The demand was first made by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and was later backed by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

"This (demonetisation) is a very sensitive and important issue. The Prime Minister should come to this house and listen to us on this," Mayawati said.

Ghulam Nabi Azad backed the demand, saying it was only through one-way communication with the Prime Minister and no other way that the opposition could convey their views to him.

"More often than not, the Prime Minister speaks and we all listen. He speaks on television, on radio through the media. But the same media is not available to us. There is no way we can communicate with the Prime Minister," Azad said.

"Therefore, we demand that the Prime Minister should sit in the Rajya Sabha today to listen to senior opposition leaders," he added.

Azad complained that even in all-party meetings, the Prime Minister arrives only towards the end when all major parties have spoken.

"If Prime Minister listens to us, I am sure many misunderstandings can be cleared. There is a huge communication gap between the Government and the Opposition," he said.