New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. alleging that leaders who “fail” to understand the country’s constitution were speaking the language of “urban naxals” and “talking of waging war” against the Indian state.
Replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Lower House, Modi took a swipe at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and said talking about caste has become a “fashion”.
‘Some leaders speak language of urban naxals, talk of waging war against the Indian state and they cannot understand the Constitution,” the PM said during his lengthy address.
He said for the last 30 years, OBC MPs have been demanding a constitutional status for them, but it was only his government which “gave them a constitutional status”.
“We (also) created a skill Ministry to help the downtrodden,” he said.
“Those who live with the Constitution in their pockets, forget how they pushed Muslim women into hardships,” the PM said, in a broad swipe at the Opposition, particularly Rahul Gandhi.
Taking on Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on the eve of the Assembly election in the Union Territory, Modi said, “We are focusing on youngsters but some people are betraying them. Such people make election promises but do not fulfill most of them”.
“This group is an ‘AAPda’ (disaster) on the future of the youngsters,” he said, repeating the expression he has repeatedly used against the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit in the election campaign.
To drive home his point, the Prime Minister patted the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana, claiming it had quickly delivered on promises made by the party before last year’s elections.
“How we function was visible in Haryana. We promised jobs and as soon as we formed the government, the youngsters got jobs. We deliver on our promises.”
Without naming Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister took potshots at her for her reaction to the President’s address, saying ‘those who entertain themselves by getting photo sessions done in huts of the poor will find the talk about the poor in Parliament boring.’
He also highlighted his government’s latest decision to not impose tax on people who earn less than Rs 12 lakh.
“In 2014, there was no tax till only Rs 2 lakh salary; today that amount is Rs 12 lakh. The salaried class will not have to pay tax on Rs 12.75 lakh after April 1 if we count the Standard Deduction,” Modi said.
“We did not give false slogans, but real development to people,’ the Prime Minister added.
Highlighting his government’s achievements in alleviating poverty, Modi said: “Till five decades, slogans of ‘garibi hatao’ were heard and now 25 crore poor have come out of poverty.”
Modi said till now under the BJP-led NDA’s rule since 2014, poor people have got 4 crore houses. “The one who has lived that kind of life knows what it means to have a house with a proper roof,” he said.
‘Pain of the poor, troubles of the common man, cannot be understood just like that; it requires passion and some just don’t have it,” the PM said, continuing his digs at the Opposition.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to technology, he said, “For some people, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fashionable term. For me, it has dual meanings – Artificial Intelligence and Aspirational India.
“In this budget, there is a provision for 50,000 new AI labs. The budget spoke about investment in Deep tech. The 21st century is tech-driven and we want the country to move forward in this field,” Modi said. UNI
