New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday excoriated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying those speaking of “declaring a war on the Indian State” can appreciate neither Constitution nor national unity as he launched a spirited counter-offensive in Lok Sabha against the Opposition.
With Rahul Gandhi leading the Congress’ attempts to corner the ruling alliance for its alleged neglect of the interests of the weaker sections of society, the prime minister asked to the cheers from treasury benches if at any point of time three members of a Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes family have served as MPs together.
Replying to the two-day discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, he said, “I want to pose a very important question to the countrymen,” and then added after raising the issue, “The answer to my question will show the huge gap between the words and action of some people. The gap is like between the earth and sky, day and night.”
The prime minister’s point was clearly aimed at the Gandhi family as their three members, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka, are currently parliamentarians.
He also accused Rahul Gandhi of openly speaking the language of urban naxals and said it is the country’s misfortune.
“Those who declare a war on the Indian state can understand neither the Constitution nor the country’s unity,” he said.
Gandhi had said during the inauguration of his party’s new headquarters last month that the Congress is fighting the Indian state, as he accused the government of using its machinery to target the opposition.
In his nearly 95-minute speech, Modi reeled out figures to highlight his government’s work for the SC, ST and OBC to rebut the Congress’ allegations while keeping AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in the line of fire for his alleged corruption and false promises, a day before the assembly polls are held in Delhi.
Without raising any tension in the society, his government has worked the welfare of disadvantaged sections while keeping people united, Modi said, asserting that more opportunities have been created for them in every field.
It has become a fashion for some leaders to talk of castes, he said touching on Gandhi’s pet issue of caste census, adding that the MBBS seats available for SC, ST and OBC students have risen from 7,700 to 17,000, from 3,800 to 9,000 and from 14,000 to 32,000 respectively as the number of medical colleges jumped to 780 from 387 under his government.
He also asserted that his government saved lakhs of crores of rupees since 2014, including over Rs 3 lakh crore by striking off over 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, and used the money for nation-building and not building “sheesh mahal”, a jibe at the former Delhi chief minister.
The BJP has been using the term ‘sheesh Mahal’, a colloquial Hindi term for an opulent house, to allege a “big scam” in the reconstruction of Kejriwal’s official bungalow.
Modi criticised Sonia Gandhi’s “poor thing” comments for President Droupadi Murmu following her address on January 31 as insulting to the “daughter of a poor family” and slammed such mindset.
A day after Rahul Gandhi targeted the government over its foreign policy, including China’s alleged intrusion, Modi sought to make light of his charge saying some people think that they will not look mature unless they touch on the issues of external affairs.
Such leaders, he said, should read “JFK’s Forgotten Crisis”, a book with some unflattering description of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Taking on the Congress over its charge that he has worked to weaken the Constitution, he said referring to the treasury benches, “Those who live the Constitution are sitting here. When ‘satta’ (government power) is service then nation-building takes place. When satta becomes inheritance, then democracy is finished.”
His government, Modi said, included the leader of the largest opposition party in selection process for important functionaries even when there was no recognised opposition after the 2014 polls. It has now made a law so that the the Leader of the Opposition becomes a member of the panel to select election commissioners, he added.
He cited different measures, including incorporating the history of all prime ministers in the PM Museum against the “family’s museum” and building the tallest status in India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a prominent Congress leader, to assert his government’s commitment to the Constitution and its spirit.
Turning to Kejriwal, the leader of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Modi flayed him for corruption, false promises and denying health benefits to the city’s residents, especially senior citizens, by not adopting the Centre’s health insurance scheme of Ayushman Bharat.
“Some parties are like ‘AAP-da’ for the future of the youth,” he said in the speech in which he did not directly name either Gandhi or Kejriwal. He also said those who walk with a copy of the Constitution in their pockets made Muslim women suffer due to the practice of triple talaq while his government gave them equal rights by abolishing the practice.
Modi said Murmu’s speech has infused new confidence in the goal of building ‘Viksit Bharat’ and inspired people as he noted that people have given him 14th opportunity to reply to the Motion on a President’s Address.
Over 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty during his government’s 10-year tenure, he said, and took a swipe at former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for repeatedly speaking of the need for preparing India for the 21st century while doing little to meet its needs of the 20th century. Rahul Gandhi’s father was at helm between 1984 and 1989.
Citing a cartoon of the famous R K Laxman showing a plane depicting 21st century being carried on a cart pushed by people, he said it showed how much disconnected was the then prime minister from the reality. Modi invoked his own humble background to assert that when a person, who is connected to the ground, understands the ground reality and lives his life on the ground, spends his life for the poor, then changes follow.
Over Rs 40 lakh crore was credited to people’s bank accounts directly by his government, he added. His government has spent a massive amount of money on development and used its resources to boost their savings as well, Modi said. Before his government came to power, those earning only Rs 2 lakh were exempt from Income Tax while the threshhold is now Rs 12 lakh.
Against the earlier politics of appeasement, his government has worked to ensure that its benefits reach every by following the politics of satisfaction, Modi said and recalled the BJP’s big win in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls to underscore the popular trust it enjoys.
Expressing confidence of people’s continuing support to the BJP, he said he said he was only in his third term and the masses will give his party many more opportunities to serve them.
