The political discourse in India certainly saw a sharp dip after some non-sensical and denigrating comments by senior leaders of several political parties. Massive backlash on the ground and on social media pushed these leaders into damage control mode and what followed was leaders coming came out with a barrage of apologies and excuses for their ‘slip’. Replying to ‘motion of thanks on President’s address’ in Lok Sabha, PM Narendra Modi not only talked about his vision for the country but also took on the opposition for the non-sensical comments and remarks made in this session of the lower house.
Speaking on the massive mandate given to the NDA, PM Modi said, “Nothing is bigger than winning the trust of people”.
Replying to 'Motion Of Thanks On the President's Address' in Lok Sabha https://t.co/oXpl0TMDOg
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2019
“I do not think about elections in terms of who won and who lost. For me, what is satisfying is the opportunity to serve 130 crore Indians and do work that has made a positive difference in the lives of our citizens. Nothing is bigger than winning the trust of people.” he said.
Taking on the Congress, PM Modi claimed that Congress is “disconnected from reality”. He also referred to the Congress leaders as “high-flying”, and ridiculed them for not seeing the ground realities. PM Modi wished that Congress and the opposition “go even higher” drawing cheers from the treasury bench. He said, “The higher you become, the happier I will be.” PM Modi further said that the aim of the NDA government is to stay connected to the ground and not to fly high, while adding, “The opposition can’t see the small things, they are uprooted from the ground.”
PM Modi made these remarks in response to Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s statement, “Modi cannot diminish his party’s “high” stature”.
Also hinting towards the high handed nature of the Congress, PM Modi said “Congress did not recognize the work of others, including their party members. I challenge the government that was in power between 2004-2014 (Congress) to mention if they ever praised the work of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Did they ever speak about good work of Narasimha Rao Ji? The same people did not even speak of Manmohan Singh Ji in Lok Sabha in this debate. On the other hand, we gave Bharat Ratna to Pranab Mukherjee.”
Prime Minister also spoke about his vision for the Indian economy and rooted for making India a “$5 trillion economy.” He said, “Let it be our collective endeavor to make India a $5 trillion economy. Promoting tourism and improving tourism infrastructure augurs well for economic prosperity. There is so much about India that the world wants to see.”
In his address, PM Modi also commented on remarks made by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. PM said, “Some members asked – why is Person A not in jail or Person B not in jail. I want to tell them- this is not the Emergency where Governments jailed people as they felt like. These decisions are taken by the Courts. Courts will decide on jail and bail.”
The newly-elected Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha had questioned the Modi government in the Lok Sabha. “Did you manage to catch anybody in 2G and coal allocation scams? Did you manage to send Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi behind the bars? You came to power by calling them thieves. Then, how are they sitting in the parliament,” he had asked. Adhir Ranjan had also used un-parliamentary language against the PM during his address, However, PM Modi decided not to comment on the meek attempt by Congress parliamentary leader. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are currently out on bail in the National Herald corruption case filed by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.
PM Modi also called out the Congress for their opposition to the triple talaq bill and advised against giving religious colors to this legislation for the empowerment of women. “What one of the main Congress ministers during Shah Bano case said in an interview recently was shocking, he said other Congress ministers remarked that it was not the job of the Congress to reform Muslims, ‘if they want to lie in the gutter let them be’ is what they said,” PM Modi said.
In his address, the Prime Minister also reiterated the government’s firm anti-corruption stand and said, “There is no place for corruption in our nation. Our fight against corruption will continue.” He also urged people to build a “New India” together. PM Modi’s no non-sense speech is surely a positive sign for the functioning of the 17th Lok Sabha, for the welfare of the nation, unaffected by any meek denigrating attempts.