PM Modi stands tall

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a detailed and comprehensive reply to the debate on the Motion thanks to the Address of the President of India in Parliament. While PM Modi launched his scathing attack on the opposition on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha, targeting the Congress in particular, he was equally critical of the party and its allies and other parties in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Usually, one expects the leader of the house to be heard with a fair measure of silence and respect. Unfortunately, that was not the case either in the Lok Sabha, or the House of Elders, and the latter saw more noise and din than the Lower House during Prime Minister Modi‘s speech. He pointed out that the entire opposition had to gang up for the disruption and sloganeering against one man—that is PM Modi himself. In the Lok Sabha on Wednesday PM, Modi listed multiple achievements of the NDA government since 2014 and described the previous 10 years under the UPA regime as a period of blackout. He referred to various scams under UPA, such as 2G, the coal scam, and the Commonwealth Games scam, all of which not only cost the nation’s exchequer but also dented its image globally. PM Modi also the one pointed out the contrasting features of economic growth under the UPA and the current government. Taking a dig at the Congress and its leadership, he said that some people were unable to digest even a prestigious development, such as India assuming the Presidency of G20. PM Modi observed that the world is watching India’s growth as a global player with the nation now becoming the fifth largest economy globally, the second largest manufacturer of mobile phones, and the third biggest capital of start-ups in the world. He added that these developments seemed to cause unease and discomfort to some, obliquely referring to the Congress and its leadership, mainly Rahul Gandhi. On Tuesday, the Wayanad MP focused his entire speech on the alleged link between the industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Modi. He raised a series of questions related to Adani who has been in the news since the disclosures in the Hindenburg report. The Congress leader sought answers to his questions from the PM. PM Modi, in his reply, brushed these accusations aside, saying that he was protected by a shield of confidence that 140 billion countrymen had in him. He remarked that the Congress could not stomach repeated electoral defeats and had been hurling wild accusations against him for two decades and had still not learned its lesson. He recounted the gains made by the country in various fields over the past nine years, including the battle with the Covid-19 pandemic and the success of indigenous vaccines. PM Modi also referred to the fact that it was the BJP that had made Mrs. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India and had thus honored the weakest section of society. He pointed out that Congress leaders had insulted her though the leader in question attempted to make some amends by sending a letter of regret. He said that while the opposition remained divided in general when it came to corruption cases for which the leaders from most opposition parties were being investigated, it appears as if the Enforcement Directorate had united the opposition. He added sarcastically that the ED appeared to have achieved what elections could not! PM Modi also remarked that some leaders thought that they would get ahead in their political careers by abusing and targeting him. Little do they seem to realize that these jibes and wild allegations cannot stick to a man who has dedicated his life to the people who are aware of his devotion and commitment, he added. He pointed out that it was the same frustrated set of politicians, who attacked the Election Commission, reacted to electoral loss complaining about EVMs, criticized the Supreme Court when the verdict was not in their favor, and targeted agencies that were probing their corruption. In the Rajya Sabha in his inimitable style, PM Modi said that India cannot be enslaved by any “Parivar.” All in all, as PM Modi said, it was one individual vs the rest in debate in both Houses.