Bishshwar Mishra /
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, the biggest threat to Indian democracy is dynastic parties and when one family gets too prevalent in a political party, political talent suffers. Replying in the Rajya Sabha to Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to both the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday, Mr. Modi said, the difficulty being faced by the Congress is that it never thought of anything else before the dynasty politics.
Launching a scathing attack on Opposition Congress in the Rajya Sabha today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said had the party not been there, the country would have been spared of Emergency, massacre of Sikhs and the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley.
Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address during the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, PM Modi claimed the Congress was in the “grip of urban Naxalites”.
Amid cheers from treasury benches, he said, “Had the Congress been dismantled as per Mahatma Gandhi’s wishes, India would have been free of dynastic politics and the blot of Emergency wouldn’t have been there. Corruption, casteism and regionalism wouldn’t have been as deep…. Sikhs would not have been massacred, Punjab wouldn’t have burnt, Kashmiri Hindus wouldn’t have had to leave their state, daughters wouldn’t have been torched in tandoors and the common man wouldn’t have had to wait for years for basic amenities.” As the Congress staged a walkout, the PM said one who spoke had to listen too in a democracy and that the party was used only to preaching.
He added that they will never learn lessons in democracy from those who trampled over democracy in 1975. He said, if there was no Congress, there would be no emergency, no caste politics, Sikhs would never have been massacred and the problems of Kashmiri Pandits would not have happened. He alleged that Congress is creating hurdles in the development of the country. He also alleged that opposition party in a way is in the grip of what he called urban naxals and they are controlling its thoughts and ideology. Expressing his commitment to strengthen the country’s federal structure, the Prime Minister said, India’s progress will be stronger when it addresses regional aspirations keeping in mind the development of the country. He said, when states progress, the country progresses. He added, the formation of the GST council is the biggest example of the country’s strong federal structure.
Highlighting the Government initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said, the country is marching towards administering 100 per cent doses of Covid vaccines to the beneficiaries. He said, the pandemic has posed a challenge before humankind. He said, the world is praising the efforts of India due to the will power of 130 crore Indians. He appreciated the efforts of the healthcare, frontline workers and scientists to effectively deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr. Modi said, over 80 crore poor people have been provided free food grains during the Covid-19 pandemic which has set an example before the world. He said, lakhs of people have been provided Pucca Houses and over five crore rural households have been provided tap water connections. He said farmers have produced bumper crops and record procurements were made on Minimum Support Prices. Highlighting the role of youths in the development of the country, he said, youths performed well in several sporting activities and they have taken the country to a new height in the field of startups ecosystem.
Talking about employment in the country, the Prime Minister said, the government has focused on agriculture and the MSME sector that provides employment opportunities. He said, 1.2 crore new members enrolled with EPFO during 2021 including 65 lakh in the 18-25 age group. He said, completion of major infrastructure projects have also ensured employment opportunities during the challenging times of pandemic. He also said, compared to pre-COVID era, the hiring has increased two-fold after the lockdown was lifted. He added that the same trend has been highlighted in a NASSCOM report. Mr. Modi said, nearly 27 lakh people have got jobs in the IT sector in recent years.
Talking about inflation, the Prime Minister said, it affected the entire world and the USA is facing its highest inflation in 40 years while the UK in 30 years. He said, the inflation rate was ranging between 4 to 5 per cent during the period of 2015 to 2020 in the country unlike UPA’s rule when it touched double digits. He said, today, India is the only big economy that is experiencing high growth and medium inflation.
The Prime Minister said, President’s address presented the blueprint of the initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of different sections of the society. He said, the country is celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and this is the appropriate time to take decisions which take the country forward in the upcoming 25 years. He asserted that in the next 25 years, the government wants to take the nation to new heights and give new direction.
After the Prime Minister’s reply, the House adopted the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address negating all the amendments moved by opposition members. Earlier, during the Prime Minister’s reply the opposition parties including Congress, TMC, RJD and others staged a walkout objecting to Mr. Modi’s comments.