Prime Minister began his speech in the Lok Sabha during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address this noon amid protests from the opposition. PM Modi’s speech comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi delivered his maiden speech as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in which he attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a host of issues.
Amid slogans from opposition leaders, PM Modi hailed the BJP-led NDA’s win in the “biggest elections in the world”. “I understand the pain of some (Opposition) that they have been defeated despite their best efforts to spread lies. That people chose us for a third term is a matter of pride,” he said.
“After independence, this has happened the second time, and after 60 years. This shows how much hard work is required for this achievement. It is not done by playing politics but through the blessings of the people. We have got a mandate for stability and decisive work.”
“The people of India have given us the opportunity to work for the third time. People have given us a mandate. They saw our track record of 10 years. 25 crore came out of poverty. This never happened since the independence,” he said.
Talking about the four assembly elections , PM Modi said that the NDA got unprecedented success.”Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s land Odisha has blessed us. In Andhra Pradesh, there has been an NDA clean sweep. In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the NDA is back. Six months ago, we won Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh.”
Hailing his government’s actions and schemes, PM Modi said that the opposition couldn’t bring in the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that Article 370 had taken away people’s rights.
“People who now dance with the Constitution did not dare to apply it there. Security forces were stoned. People said nothing could happen. After abrogation of Article 370, stone pelting is over. People are trusting the Constitution, flag and democracy of India and voting in large numbers,” he said.
Demanding justice for Manipur, the Opposition stormed into the Well of the House even as the PM continued his speech.
Chanting slogans like ‘Dictatorship won’t be tolerated’, the Opposition continued its protest to demand a discussion on Manipur, forcing PM Modi to pause his speech briefly as Speaker Om Birla tried to bring order to the House.
Unfazed PM Modi remained calm and said that before 2014, there was a time “coal scams that blackened the hands of many”. “There was a time when there were scams via phone banking. After 2014, policies changed, the speed of work changed. Today, India’s banks are earning maximum profits. There was a time before 2014 when terrorists could strike at will. Governments did and said nothing. Today, Hindustan Ghar mein ghus ke maarta hai. It does surgical strikes, air strikes and teaches a lesson to the handlers of terrorists. Today, every citizen knows that India can do anything for its security,” he said.
Gandhi’s remarks on Monday triggered an uproar in the Lok Sabha with top BJP leaders, including PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah accusing the Raebareli MP of insulting Hindus.
The fiery speech also targeted several government policies, including the NEET-UG medical entrance exam, alleged attacks on the Constitution, the Agniveer scheme among others.
Some portions of Gandhi’s speech were expunged from the records of Lok Sabha. “I said whatever I wanted to say, and that is the truth. They can expunge it as much as they want,” Gandhi said.
The PM addressed the NDA parliamentary party meeting in the morning. This was his first address to NDA MPs since he took over as Prime Minister for the third term in a row.
