Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of playing divide and rule for political gains.
PM Modi, during his speech in Lok Sabha on Monday, launched a searing attack on the Congress, calling it the face of the ‘tukde-tukde gang’. He accused the opposition party of strategically sowing seeds to divide the nation.
In his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks, the prime minister used wit and sarcasm to counter the opposition while highlighting the government’s achievements so far.
“During the first COVID-19 wave, you (Congress) allowed the migrant workers to leave Mumbai. Adding to that, the Delhi government facilitated the labourers in leaving the city, while creating panic among them, all of which led to further spread of the coronavirus in Delhi and the neighboring states,” said the PM.
He accused the opposition parties of giving the pandemic a political color to dent his image. PM Modi also emphasised the government’s efforts in successfully tackling the pandemic, and said that the ‘world is praising the way India fought COVID-19’.
Furthermore, the PM pointed out that Congress has lost its track, and despite losing so many elections in states like Nagaland, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, West Bengal, and Bihar, “they are still arrogant, and will break the mirror if one is shown to them”. “You’ve made up your mind of not coming to power for the next 100 years, and I’ve prepared myself for that,” he added.
Mentioning the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the prime minister stated that construction of highways, airports, and installation of optical fibers in remote areas have picked up in the past five years, resulting in the creation of jobs.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, the PM responded to his allegations of calling the ‘very rich’ a new variant and accusing them of monopolising all the sectors. He said that calling industrialists a COVID variant is in a way mocking the idea of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, and is harmful for the already damaged reputation of the Congress.
The prime minister obliquely highlighted the repulsion the three farm laws have received from the opposition parties. He said that those who have ruled the nation for a long time are accustomed to living in palatial houses, and that made them oblivious to the sufferings of small farmers. “In order to grow as a country, focusing on the welfare of small farmers is crucial. But the opposition has neglected them throughout,” said the PM.
While addressing the issue of inflation, the prime minister seized the opportunity and subtly took a jibe at the Congress by quoting an incident where Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, had said that the Korean war and disturbance in America is responsible for rising prices in India. Additionally, the PM accused the Congress of playing with the statistics and exploiting the poor, and poetically pointed out, “You are lost in the file, and we are changing lives.”
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Talking about the start-up culture in the country, PM Modi said that dependency on the government to get things done is a thing of the past, and that the government is focusing on creating a startup-friendly environment. “The opposition has consistently mocked the ‘Make in India’ campaign, but we see the potential in it and have removed the barriers to entrepreneurship,” claimed the PM.
Soon after the session, the Congress accused the prime minister of poking fun at the misery of those who have suffered and lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and dismissed Modi’s speech as propaganda.
