Modi slams Opp for instigating migrants’ exodus during lockdown
In a sharp attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused it of believing in the policy of sowing seeds of division and alleged that it has become the “leader of the Tukde Tukde gang”.
He said the Opposition party has lost “the appetite for power” and it seems it is planning to be out of power for the “next 100 years.”
In his reply to the debate to the Motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, Modi quoted the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and Tamil poet Subramaniam Bharti to say that “India’s heritage is one” and it is a living entity. But he said the Congress has a habit to divide and rule.
“The British rule ended in India long back, but the Congress adopted their policy of divide and rule and has now become the leader of the ‘Tukde Tukde gang’”, he said.
In a speech interspersed with the Urdu couplets, Modi blamed the Congress and the Opposition for instigating migrant labourers to travel during the lockdown.
“Maharashtra Government allowed migrants to go to UP, Bihar during a pandemic and spread Covid there,” he said.
Modi’s address was singularly focused on the Congress which, he said, has been away from power in several States like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Tripura for decades. “But even after so many defeats your ego still does not go away nor your ecosystem allows you that,” he said.
Citing an urdu couplet he said: “Vo jab din ko raat Kahen to turant maan jao, nahin manoge to wo din main nakaab oaud lenge, inhen aina maat dikhao, wo aina bhi tod denge…”.
Modi accused the Congress regimes of reneging on their promises and being double-faced. “The Congress was winning elections since 1971 on the slogan ‘eradicate poverty’. Poverty didn’t end and people ousted the Congress,” he said.
Modi again quoted Nehru to say external factors do affect price rise, but he said, the Congress is unmindful of the effects of the Covid-19 which is the biggest pandemic of the last 100 years.
“Had the Congress been in power today, it would have blamed Covid for rising inflation and moved ahead,” said the Prime Minister in his address which was many a time interrupted by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdury.
“Despite Covid, we ensured inflation did not go out of control, food inflation remained below 5 per cent”, said Modi. He said India had to face double-digit inflation during UPA years but the Government had then admitted it can’t rein in inflation and quoted then Finance Minister P Chidambaram deriding people for complaining about the price rise in wheat and rice when they don’t hesitate to “eat ice cream”
He blamed the Congress for spreading negativity and making disparaging remarks against wealth creators in the country. The PM said, “Dubbing industrialists as Covid variants will hurt interests of Congress”.
Congress has become “a subject of ridicule” as they tried to mock “our efforts to promote Make in India and self-reliance” and reducing defence imports and deciding to encourage Indian companies in this sector which is key to national security.
“These people have been disconnected from grassroots, they’re lost in files; we are working to change lives of 130 cr Indians,” he said adding that the country in its 75th year of Independence is globally marching ahead with strength towards “amrit kal”.
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, the Prime Minister said it is obsessed with his name and “can’t live for a moment without uttering “Modi”; the Opposition starts targeting Modi since morning”.
He expressed surprise as to how could the Opposition, instead of encouraging and offering suggestions, say that “Make it India would fail’.
“For India’s progress, it’s important to empower small farmers; they will strengthen the country’s progress”, he said.
Focusing on small farmers, Modi said, “Those who ruled the nation for so many years and used to living in palatial houses have forgotten to speak for the small farmer.”
He said despite pandemic conditions, the Government ensured the importance and supply of fertilizers to the farmers in the country.
He said post-Covid pandemic, the world is moving fast towards a new world order and India should not miss this opportunity.
“ ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is perfect time to think about how India can play a global leadership role in coming years”, he said
Ahead of his address, the Prime Minister paid tributes to singing legend Lata Mangeshkar saying she captivated the entire country with her melodious voice and sang in 36 languages and thus symbolised unity of the country.