By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi replied to the Motion of No Confidence in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Addressing the House, the Prime Minister said that he has come to express immense gratitude towards each and every citizen of India for repeatedly showing their trust in the government. He recalled commenting that it is not a floor test for the government but for those who introduced it in the house in 2018 when the opposition brought a no-confidence motion.
“When we went to polls in 2019, the people had declared no confidence in them with utmost strength”, the Prime Minister said as he underlined that both NDA and the BJP won more seats. In a way, the Prime Minister said, the no-confidence motion introduced by the opposition is lucky for the government. He also expressed confidence that the NDA and the BJP will break all records and come out victorious in 2024 with the blessings of the people.
The Prime Minister said it would have been better if the opposition had participated with due seriousness since the beginning of the session. He mentioned that important legislations were passed in the past few days and they should have been discussed by the opposition who gave preference to politics over these key legislations. “There were many bills that were linked with the fishermen, data, poor, deprived and tribals but the opposition has no interest in them. This was a betrayal of the expectations of the people. They have proven that for them, the party is above the country”, he said. The Prime Minister said that the country is watching the opposition and they have always disappointed the people.
The Prime Minister pointed out that a time comes in the life of a nation when it breaks free from the old shackles and moves forward with new energy and determination. “This time period of the 21st century is a time of fulfilling all our aspirations. Whatever is shaped during this time period will impact the country for the next thousand years. Therefore, we have a huge responsibility and we should have a single focus- development of the country and full dedication to realize the dreams of the countrymen”, he emphasized. He said that the strengths of our people and youth can take us to our destination.
He continued, that in 2014 and later, due to the track record the country chose a full majority government as they knew where lies the capability of realizing their dreams. “We have given the youth of India a government free of scams. We have given them courage and the opportunity to fly in the open sky. We have repaired India’s standing in the world and have taken them to new heights”, he stressed. “Opposition have made an unsuccessful attempt to break the confidence of the people in the garb of No Confidence Motion”, he said. Shri Modi mentioned the growth in the startup ecosystem, record foreign investment, and new peaks of exports and said, “Today a trust has arisen in the heart of the poor to fulfill their dreams.” He also talked about the NITI report about 13.5 crore people coming out of poverty.
The Prime Minister mentioned an IMF working paper which states that India has almost eradicated extreme poverty. Quoting the IMF, the Prime Minister said that the Indian DBT Scheme and other social welfare schemes are a ‘logistical marvel’. He also quoted the WHO which states that the Jal Jeevan Mission is helping save 4 lakh lives in the country and the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan helping save 3 lakh lives. “These are the poor people of the country who reside in urban slums”, he added. Quoting UNICEF on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Prime Minister said that it is helping the poor families of the country save Rs 50,000 per year.
Criticizing the ostrich approach of the opposition the Prime Minister said that they are not able to see the trust of people as they are so steeped in distrust. The Prime Minister said that the opposition’s bad language and constant nitpicking works like a ‘Kala Tika (to ward off bad omen).
The Prime Minister said that all the target institutions of the opposition’s criticism invariably shine and called it the ‘opposition’s secret boon’. “Whoever they wish bad for, ends up doing well”, he said.
The Prime Minister recalled the attitude of the opposition towards the developments in the banking sector and said that they tried their best to spread misinformation and confuse the people. However, the Prime Minister interjected, the net profit of the public sector banks increased twofold. He also touched upon the phone banking scam which pushed the country towards an NPA crisis and said that the country has revived itself from this and is now moving forward. Shri Modi also gave an example of HAL which was severely attacked by the opposition. He said HAL is touching new heights of success and has registered the highest-ever revenue. Throwing light on the ills spoken by the opposition about LIC, the Prime Minister said that LIC is growing stronger with each passing day.
“The opposition does not believe in the capabilities and dedication of the nation”, the Prime Minister remarked as he recalled saying a few days ago that in his third term, India will become the third largest economy in the world. As a responsible opposition, the Prime Minister said that they should have questioned the government on their roadmap to achieve this goal or at least provided suggestions but that was not the case. He called out the laxity of the opposition which claims that nothing needed to be done to become the third-largest economy in the world. The Prime Minister said that such an approach by the opposition indicates the lack of policies, intentions, vision, the know-how of world economics and the understanding of the capabilities of India.
The Prime Minister underlined how India sank into poverty and was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1991. However, after 2014 India found a place in the top 5 economies of the world. He said that this was achieved through the mantra of ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ with definite planning and hard work. This will continue and necessary reforms will be done, he added. “In 2028, when you will bring a No Confidence Motion, the Country will be among the top 3”, he told the House.
Continuing the distrusting approach of the opposition, the Prime Minister talked about their lack of faith in the campaigns like Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan Account, Yoga, Ayurveda, Startup India, Digital India and Make in India.
The Prime Minister highlighted the infiltration of militants in Kashmir during the Congress rule and that the then government would agree with Pakistan and continue peace talks simultaneously. He also touched upon their association with Hurriyat instead of the Kashmiri populace. Speaking about the Surgical Strike, the Prime Minister mentioned how the opposition chose to believe the narrative spun by the enemy instead of trusting the government on the issue.
“The opposition is quick to trust those who speak ill of the country”, the Prime Minister said and mentioned a misinformed report by a foreign agency that touted a nation dealing with food insecurity ahead of India in certain parameters. He said that the opposition latches on to such misinformed reports and tries to defame the country at every opportunity it gets. He also gave the example of the Made-in-India Corona vaccine and said that the opposition did not trust it but instead looked towards foreign-made vaccines. He underlined that the opposition does not trust the capabilities of India and its people and similarly, the level of confidence for the opposition in the eyes of the people is at an extreme low.
The Prime Minister also said that cosmetic changes of alliance building cannot fool the people of the country and a simple change of name will not change the fortune of the opposition alliance. “They have taken the help of NDA to survive but added two ‘I’s of arrogance, first for the ego of 26 parties and second ‘I’ for the ego of one family. They even splintered India into I.N.D.I.A.”, he said. “Opposition believes in changing names but they can’t change their work culture”, he emphasized. Referring to the divisive comment of a Minister from the Tamil Nadu Government, the Prime Minister reiterated his faith in the state and said that Tamil Nadu is a state where a stream of patriotism flows continuously. The Prime Minister dwelled on the fascination of the opposition with names and mentioned how every scheme and key marker was named after the members of the one family. The Prime Minister called I.N.D.I.A, a ‘Ghamndia’ coalition (arrogant coalition) and underlined the contradictions among the partners.
Shri Modi emphasized that the freedom fighters and founding fathers of the country always opposed dynasty politics. Dynasty system damages the common citizen. Key leaders suffered due to the dynasty politics, he said. He said many portraits of stalwarts who were victims of this type of politics found a place in the Parliament only in the later years of non-Congress governments. He also mentioned the Statue of Unity and Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya. The Museum is dedicated to all Prime Ministers and rises above party politics.
The Prime Minister reiterated that even though the people of India elected a full majority government twice after 30 years, the opposition is perturbed by a ‘Garib ka Beta’ who is sitting on the Prime Minister’s chair. He pointed out that the misuse of aircrafts and naval vessels in the past by the opposition is now rectified for the transportation of vaccines and bringing back those stuck in foreign lands.
The Prime Minister warned against the politics of freebies and cited the situation in the neighboring countries as an example of the havoc that such politics can bring. He lamented the tendency of winning elections through reckless assurances and people are being put under tremendous pressure as development projects are being shelved.
The Prime Minister said that the opposition was never interested in discussing the Manipur situation. He said that the Home Minister explained the issues in great detail with patience and without any politics. The explanation by the Home Minister was an effort to convey the concern of the country and the nation, it was an attempt to convey the House’s confidence to Manipur. It was an honest effort to discuss and find ways.
Speaking about the Manipur issue, the Prime Minister said that the violence in Manipur is saddening. “Crimes against women are unacceptable and the Central Government and the State Government will work to ensure that the guilty are punished. I assure the people of India on the basis of our effort we are making that there will be peace in Manipur in the coming times”, the Prime Minister said. He assured the people of Manipur, the mothers and daughters of Manipur that the nation stands by them and the House stands by them. He also assured that the Government will leave no stone unturned so that Manipur gets back on the track of development.
The Prime Minister registered a strong protest against the use of objectionable language for Maa Bharati in the House and said that these are the people responsible for the Partition and who even berated Vande Mataram. Shri Modi also mentioned the Kachchatheevu issue as an example of the failure of the opposition.
The Prime Minister mentioned three incidents regarding the Northeast. First, on 5th March 1966, when the Airforce was used to attack people in Mizoram. Second, a radio transmission by then Prime Minister Nehru in 1962 when the people of Northeast were left to fend for themselves during the Chinese invasion. He also cited Ram Manohar Lohia’s allegation about the neglect of the region. The Prime Minister informed that in the current government, the Ministers have done 400 night stays in various district headquarters of the Northeast and the Prime Minister himself has visited 50 times. “I have an emotional attachment with the Northeast. Even before becoming PM, I have traveled across the region”, Shri Modi said.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the situation in Manipur is being presented in a way that the conflict arose only recently but the root cause of all issues in Manipur is Congress and its politics. “Manipur is filled with rich Indian culture and heritage. Manipur is the land of innumerable sacrifices”, he said. He recalled the time of Congress government in the state when every institution operated at the beck and call of extremist organizations and putting up a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi in government offices was forbidden. He also mentioned the bombing of the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the Museum of Azad Hind Fauj in Moirang. He further recalled when singing the National Anthem was forbidden in the schools of Manipur and a campaign was initiated to burn the books from libraries. The Prime Minister gave several examples of extremist activities in the region during the Congress rule and mentioned temples shutting their doors at 4 in the evening, the bombing of the Iskcon temple in Imphal that led to loss of lives, and protection money paid to the extremists by government officers.
The Prime Minister said that in the coming days, the Northeast is going to be a center of development. He said he is aware of the fact that movements in the global system will bring change in South-East Asia and ASEAN countries and what impact will that have on the Northeast. That is why, the Prime Minister said, “Our government has given first priority to the development of the Northeast.” Shri Modi talked about the investment in the infrastructure in the Northeast and mentioned how modern highways, railways and airports are becoming the identity of the Northeast. “Agartala got connected with rail connectivity for the first time, Goods train reached Manipur for the first time, for the first time modern train like Vande Bharat ran in the region, first greenfield airport was constructed in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim got connected with air travel, for the first time AIIMS opened in the Northeast, National Sports University is being opened in Manipur and Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Mizoram for the first time Northeast’s participation increased in the Council of Ministers, and for the first time, a woman represented Nagaland in the Rajya Sabha. For the first time so many people from the Northeast were honoured with Padma Awards and a hero like Lachit Burfukan was celebrated on Republic Day and a Museum with the name of Rani Gaidinliu was established”, he said.
“For us, Sabka Saath Sabka Vishwas is not a slogan but is an article of faith, a commitment”, said the Prime Minister adding “I assure the people of the country that I will devote every particle of the body and every moment to the service of the countrymen.”
The Prime Minister emphasized, “Parliament is not a platform for a Party. Parliament is the revered highest body for the country. Therefore, it is imperative that Parliamentarians have certain seriousness for this. So much of resources are being devoted here. Every second here should be utilized for the country.” He added that with a lack of seriousness, one can do politics but the country can not be run.
In the last 9 years, the Prime Minister said that the trust of the common citizens is soaring to new heights and every Indian is filled with confidence. “The India of today does not crumble under pressure. The India of today does not bend, does not tire and does not stop”, Shri Modi said. He urged the citizens to move forward with trust and resolution and said that it is the trust of the common people that inspires the world to believe in India. He credited the growing trust of the world in India to the growth of confidence in the common citizens.
In the past few years, the Prime Minister said that the government has succeeded in laying strong foundations for Viksit Bharat. He expressed confidence that it is this foundation which will lead India to become a developed nation by the year 2047. He underlined that the nation has come out of worse situations together and urged the political parties to not misuse the land of Manipur for petty politics. “We must empathize with the pain and suffering and do our best for recovery. This is the way forward”, the Prime Minister appealed.
