Opposition dubs PM’s reply in LS “typical election speech” with an eye on Delhi polls
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a veiled attack on Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and former chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha. The motion was adopted without any amendments through a voice vote.
The Opposition, however, dubbed the Prime Minister’s address a typical election speech made with an eye on the Delhi elections. Modi attacked Kejriwal for not implementing the Central government’s health scheme Ayushman Bharat in Delhi and pushing many in the national capital into financial distress. He also said while his government focused on providing water supply to each household, there were some people who focused on Jacuzzis and stylish showers.
Attacking Rahul over his “boring” comment on the President’s address, Modi said those who entertain themselves by getting photo sessions done in huts of the poor will find the talk about the poor in the Parliament boring.
“We did not give false slogans, but real development to people. The President’s address was to infuse confidence among the youth and inspire the new generation of India for Viksit Bharat. Today 25-crore people are out of poverty while for five decades we kept hearing slogans of ‘garibi hatao’. We didn’t give false slogans to the poor. We gave them development,” said Modi.
In his Lok Sabha speech, Modi mentioned how, due to corruption, the schemes of the government never reached the poor and marginalised persons earlier and now people’s money is with them. “Janata ka paisa, janata ke paas… We removed 10-crore fake beneficiaries from government schemes,” he said amid sloganeering from the Opposition, who mentioned Adani and the `15 lakh promise made by the BJP in its poll promises in 2014.
Responding to them, Modi said, “When the fever is high, people say anything, but also when people are frustrated and disappointed, they say a lot of things.” The Prime Minister further said since 2014, when the BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Centre, poor people have got 4-crore houses. “The one who has lived that kind of life knows what it means to have a house with a proper roof. Pain of the poor and troubles of the common man cannot be understood just like that; it requires passion and some just don’t have it,” he said in a sarcastic remark aimed at the Opposition leaders.
Taking on Rahul over his comments on India’s foreign policy and the Chinese activity along the LAC, Modi, without naming him, said those really interested in foreign policy must read JFK’s Forgotten Crisis. “This book was written by a foreign policy scholar. In it there is a mention of India’s first prime minister (Jawaharlal Nehru), who also held the foreign affairs portfolio. It had his conversation with John F. Kennedy (JFK) when the country was dealing with a crisis situation... The book details what games were played in the name of foreign policy.”
On Rahul’s “bandage for bullet wound” comments on the Union Budget, Modi said before 2014 such bombs were hurled at people and bullets were fired that affected the lives of people. “But we have gradually healed those wounds and moved forward,” he said while talking about the income-tax exemption limit increase.
Reacting to the Modi’s address in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “...You (the PM) have already spoken repeatedly on dynasty politics, now you should be speaking regarding the President’s speech, and he should speak on the criticism made by the Opposition regarding it...he did not answer anything. It was an election speech…he spoke keeping in mind the Delhi elections.”
“I think he (the PM) is cut off from people and their needs. This is what was felt from his speech,” said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the Prime Minister should have talked about the Maha Kumbh tragedy.
