New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack at the Congress in Lok Sabha and said it has become the leader of the ‘tukde tukde’ gang. The Prime Minister was replying to a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech. Several exchanges were witnessed between the Opposition and Treasury benches, and PM Modi also said at one point that Opposition MPs had threatened to disrupt his speech when Treasury benches created a ruckus during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s speech. The Prime Minister started his speech by paying tributes to Lata Mangeshkar, who died of post Covid complications on Sunday. He named states after state where Congress has been out of power for long. Modi said Congress has been out of power in Nagaland since 1998, Odisha since 1995, Goa since 1994, and has been out of power in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat for long as well. He said Congress created Telangana but has been out of power in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh ever since. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury objected to the comments, and questioned if it was a reply to the President’s address. The Prime Minister, in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, said, “The space that was supposed to be used for the nation was used for a party. We are being forced to do this”. Modi accused the Congress of being arrogant, when Chowdhury interjected and asked the PM to talk about unemployment. Modi however quoted a couplet and said “vo magaroor hain khud kee samajh par beintaha, inhen aaeena mat dikhao, vo aaeene ko bhee tod denge” (They are arrogant about their understanding of things, if you show them the mirror they will break it). The Prime Minister accused Congress of adopting the British policy of divide and rule, and slammed comments made by Rahul Gandhi on Tamil Nadu while participating in the debate in Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi had accused center of not respecting states, as he emphasized that India was a Union of States. “Congress has become the leader of the tukde tukde gang,” Modi said, evoking loud thumping of desks from the treasury benches. “Those who can’t stop us democratically are doing it through indiscipline in the House,” he said as he was repeatedly disrupted by Opposition in his reply. The Prime Minister said that criticism is the foundation of democracy, but blind criticism is not good. He also slammed the Opposition of running campaign against Covid-19 vaccination, which was again objected to by the opposition MPs. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi was seen shouting about “dead bodied in Ganga”, as the Prime Minister talked about the pandemic control. Modi also slammed Opposition for the migrant exodus witnessed during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, and said Congress leaders stood at railway station in Mumbai and provoked the migrant workers to go back. He also alleged that in national capital Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government made announcements in the city and asked migrant workers to go home. He took a jibe at the Congress and said they have made up their mind not to come back to power for another 100 years. If you have prepared for 100 years, so have I,” he said. The Prime Minister said India is the fastest growing amid large economies in the world, and also talked about farmers and said there was record production an procurement despite the pandemic. Talking about defence exports, the Prime Minister said India cannot reply on imports if it wants to ensure its safety, and said the government is pushing indigenisation of defence production. He also slammed Rahul Gandhi for saying Make in India is not possible. Opposition MPs were meanwhile seen mentioning China, and asking the PM to talk about the border situation, and imports from China. As Chowdhury repeatedly objected to the comments of the Prime Minister, Modi took a jibe and said, “You have improved you CR (Confidential Report)… No one is going to throw you out in this session”. Modi also made reference to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru at least thrice, and quoted him on price rise, emphasizing on fundamental duties, and on India being a nation. Modi said even Nehru had said in one of his independence day speeches that the price rise was affected by international events, and quoted a passage from Discovery of India to counter Rahul Gandhi’s argument of India being a union of states and not a nation. The Prime Minister was interrupted several times during his speech, As he spoke of the Ujjwala scheme, TMC MP Saugata Roy said the poor were unable to afford gas. PM in reply said, “Dada is having the fun of youth even at this age”. At one point, an Opposition MP also mimicked the PM as he spoke. Modi however said “it would be good for him to learn”. Soon after the Prime Minister’s speech was concluded, Speaker Om Birla put the motion of thanks to the President’s speech to vote. While several Opposition MPs have moved adjournments, those were disapproved by the House and the Motion of Thanks was passed. UNI AO SHK2103
