Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ruling party leaders have been rattled by India¡¯s newly emboldened opposition, which now plans to use its expanded presence in parliament to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party on multiple fronts, a senior opposition leader said.
Shashi Tharoor, a senior member of the Indian National Congress and 15-year veteran of the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, said BJP leaders appeared "shaken¡± by a fiery parliamentary speech this week by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. He said the speech signals the presence of a more forceful opposition in India for the first time since Modi took power a decade ago.
"They¡¯re not used to it. They have to get used to it,¡± Tharoor said of the BJP during an interview in New Delhi on Wednesday. "We¡¯ve seen the government¡¯s response in Mr. Modi¡¯s speech, so you know where the battle lines have been drawn.¡±
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