Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress saying the Opposition party is unable to digest its successive electoral defeats and his rise, and asserted that it will never be able to "dig his grave" as the blessings of crores of Indians are his "protective shield".
Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, Modi regretted the disruption caused by the Opposition party in the Lok Sabha and said it was not just an insult to a poor tribal woman President of India but also the top Constitutional position she occupied, and the Constitution of India. They have no right to talk about the Constitution, he said.
Modi deplored Rahul Gandhi's "traitor" comment on Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, and termed it an insult to the entire Sikh community due to their deep-rooted hatred for Sikhs. Insulting people is part of the Congress culture, he said.
He accused the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC party of protecting "ghuspaithiyas" (infiltrators) in West Bengal, who were taking away jobs and rights of the youth and the lands of tribals. Such merciless government is pushing the future of people into darkness, he said, adding that how the youth of the country would forgive such people who are putting in efforts to fight the case of infiltrators.
The motion of thanks was adopted by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote in the absence of Opposition members, who staged a walkout minutes after the Prime Minister started speaking. They initially raised slogans while trying to disrupt the PM's speech.
In his nearly 100-minute speech, Modi singled out the Congress for a no-holds-barred attack saying it failed to give the country a vision towards development, and filled their own coffers while serving the interest of only the 'shahi family' (Congress's first family).
Accusing the Congress of adopting double-standards, the Prime Minister said those who talk of 'Mohabbat ki dukaan' are raising slogans like 'Modi teri kabr khudegi', which highlights their frustration of electoral defeats and their deep-seated hatred towards him. He said the Congress was making a death wish for him as "it had no other option left".
"Naare kitne hi laga lo, kabr tum nahi khod paoge. (Raise as many slogans as you want... you will not be able to dig my grave)," Modi asserted, saying the blessings of crores of people, mothers and sisters, is his armour.
He also said they abuse him daily because they are unable to digest how a poor man like him has occupied the top post and is also continuing. Modi said the Congress and other Opposition parties want to dig his grave because he removed Article 370, ended violence and terrorism in the Northeast and action against Naxalism and attacked Pakistan in their terrorists through Operation Sindoor, among several other big achievements.
Congress's first family considered the Prime Minister's post their ancestral right, "for me, politics is a medium of service and not self-gratification".
"Those who claim to run a 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan' are raising slogans saying, 'Modi, teri kabr khudegi'. What kind of 'Mohabbat ki dukaan' is this that dreams of digging the grave of a fellow citizen of the country?"
He said while his government has promoted over two lakh startups in the country, the Congress is unable to "give a lift to their family's startup", an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi.
Referring to the speech made by former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Modi said the Congress treated Indians as "problems" while his government treated them as strength and solution to challenges. He said Indira Gandhi once cited an instance where someone asked her about the challenges her father Nehru faced in India and she answered -- 35 crore population. "And when Indira Gandhi was asked about her problems she said 57 crore, the Indian population at that time," Modi said, asking what kind of a leader treats their own people as problems.
Listing out the achievements of his government in the last 11 years, he asserted that high growth and low inflation reflect the strength in the country's economy, which was set to emerge as the third largest in the world. Modi also spoke about the recent trade deals with the European Union and the US and said the world is feeling more confident about stability after these developments.
He said India is now riding on 'Reform Express' and will achieve the goal of a developed nation by 2047. "India will no longer miss the bus, it will lead from the front," he said while referring to the rapid strides made by the country. The second quarter of this century will be vital in building a Viksit Bharat, he said.
Modi countered the Opposition's criticism about his government's track record of implementing schemes and talking about 'Viksit Bharat'. He also cited examples of tardy implementation of various infrastructure projects and said, "the Congress only indulged in imagining and have nothing to do with implementation".
He also said India has become a strong voice of the global south. India reaching a trade agreement with the United States close on the heels of a landmark agreement with the European Union has installed greater confidence in the country in the eyes of the global community, the Prime Minister said, calling the agreements "future-ready".
"The deal (India-US) is a good omen for the world… Today when we speak of deals we speak with pride whereas in the past, deal meant Bofors," Modi added.
