INDIAN opposition leader and parliamentarian P Chidambaram on Wednesday (13) slammed the Narendra Modi government citing a recent debate in the British parliament where prime minister Rishi Sunak 'promptly' replied to 'hard questions' hurled at him by the opposition over his discussion with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during the recent G20 summit in New Delhi and wished such a scene could be witnessed in the Indian parliament as well.
The veteran leader, who has been India's finance and home minister when his Indian National Congress was in power, also said such debates were normal when Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister, was in office.
Former Indian home minister P Chidambaram (Photo by PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images)
On Monday (11), Sunak told his country's lawmakers about his meeting with the Indian prime minister on the sidelines of the G20 summit. He informed the House of Commons that he had 'warm and productive' discussions with Modi on the free-trade agreement between the two countries. He also highlighted his three key aims during the visit that included strengthening ties with New Delhi, climate action and increasing diplomatic pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Putin was absent at the G20 summit.
The opposition members also asked the Conservative leader about Jagtar Johal, the British Sikh activist who is in an Indian jail on serious charges. Sunak said he spoke about it with Modi and assured that London 'remains committed to seeing a resolution to the case'.
The 77-year-old Chidambaram, a member of the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of the Indian parliament who had presented India's Dream Budget in 1997, also suggested reading the debate that took place in the House of Commons and praised the way it took place within hours after the British prime minister returned home.
Modi is accused by his opponents of running his government in an undemocratic way. His administration is also accused of using unbridled political power to undermine democratic freedoms of religious minorities and the press.
The opposition has also criticised the government over a special session that the latter convened on September 18, saying the agenda of the session was kept secret.
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images