NEW DELHI, Mar 3: Mixing aggression, wit and barbs, Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi today accused Congress of stalling Parliam-ent because of “jealousy” and “inferiority complex” of its leadership even as he appealed for opposition support for “improving” governance while sidestepping the raging controversies surrounding JNU and Hyder-abad University.
In his 75-minute speech in the Lok Sabha, he paid back in sarcasm to the attack, particularly by Rahul Gandhi, yesterday over various initiatives of his Government, including the ‘Make in India’ programme and MNREGA.
However, at the end of his speech winding up the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, the Prime Minister held out an olive branch to the opposition seeking its cooperation in running the Government for the benefit of the people and the country.
“We need to make an atmosphere of improving trust. If you have suggestions, please do offer. I would like the Government to adopt these habits. Government also needs to improve and this would not happen without your support. I need your support. I need you people, your experience.
“I am new. You are experienced. Let us walk shoulder to shoulder and do some good work for the nation. Governments may come and go. People may come and go. Things may fail or succeed but the country will remain immortal. And we will work for the fulfilment of the country,” he said reaching out to the Opposition.
After the Prime Minister’s reply, the House rejected all opposition amendments, including one by division insisted upon by BJD leader Batruhari Mahtab, and adopted the motion.
Paying back in good measure to Rahul without naming him, Modi appeared to be responding to his rema- rks yesterday that the Prime Minister should “listen” to others by saying it is “easy to preach others”.
The Prime Minister recalled how Rahul had in 2013 shown “respect” to the Cabinet headed by Manmohan Singh and veterans of his Cabinet including A K Antony, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah by tearing in public an Ordinance cleared by it.
Slamming Congress for disrupting Parliament and stalling bills, Modi said it was doing so because of “jealousy” and “inferiority complex” of its top leaders, suggesting they were not allowing “young” and “Bright” leaders to emerge fearing that they may overshadow Rahul.
“In the opposition there are bright and talented youngers who don’t get a chance to speak. They do a lot of study. The concern is that if they speak, they will be praised. Then what will happen to us,” he said to the cheers from the treasury benches.
He also invoked the statements made by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and first President Rajendra Prasad by reading out their statements against stalling of legislative business.
Modi deplored the ‘tu tu, mai mai’ (blame game) attitude by political parties for “scoring points”, saying the bureaucracy rejoices over this and nation suffers.
He said a democratic country like India cannot be left at the mercy of bureaucracy as he sought to underline the importance of the legislature, saying even a single MP of any party should be treated like “Prime Minister”.
The Prime Minister, however, did not respond to the specific issues raised by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders, like his visit to Pakistan, blackmoney, JNU and Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide in Hyderabad University.
In an apparent reference to Rahul’s remarks yesterday that he should listen to others, Modi said, “It is easy to preach others…There are some people to whom all kinds of questions are asked. But there are some others, whom nobody dares to ask questions.”
Apparently referring to the attacks on him in the aftermath of Gujarat riots of 2002, he said, “I have been questioned, I have faced criticism and accusations over the last 14 years. I have learnt to live with it.”
When Congress member Kantilal Bhuria said that there is a “gap between what you say and what you do”, Modi said, “I have got several certificates during the last 14 years, let there be one more. I accept it with bowed head.”
The Prime Minister said it is his Government’s privilege to do the work that should have been done years ago, but unfortunately didn’t happen.
While talking of disruptions in Parliament, he appeared to take a swipe at the 45-member Congress, saying its attitude was to “demonstrate its strength” even though its “strength may be less”.
While hitting out at Rahul for criticising him, Modi sarcastically recalled how he had torn at a press conference an Ordinance approved by the Cabinet headed by Manmohan Singh and including veterans like A K Antony, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah.
“The nation cannot forget September 27, 2013. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the US… An Ordinance approved by the Cabinet was torn at a press conference…. (This is) respect..,” he said.
He also took on Rahul for mocking at the Government’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ programme, questioning whether such a scheme should be made fun of.
“You are mocking at ‘Make in India’? If it is not successful, you should suggest what should be done to make it successful,” he said.
Referring to disruptions in Parliament due to which several bills, including the crucial GST legislation is stuck, Modi said “House is not allowed to function due to inferiority complex (of the opposition leadership).”
While elaborating, he appeared to suggest that top Congress leadership was not allowing “young” and “bright” leaders to emerge fearing that they may overshadow Rahul.
“In the opposition there are bright and talented youngsters who don’t get a chance to speak…They do a lot lot of study…The concern is that if they speak, they will be praised. Then what will happen to us,” Modi said.
Training guns at the Congress, Modi also slammed it over the issue of poverty.
“You (Congress) boldly say that during elections I had promised to rid the country of poverty. But you have made poverty so deep-rooted that it is so difficult to uproot it… You must be saying ‘Modi, you yourself will be uprooted but poverty will not go’.. Still, we are making efforts,” he said.
“To uproot poverty, a lot of efforts need to be made…. I realised how deep-rooted poverty is only when I came here (after becoming Prime Minister),” the former Gujarat Chief Minister said.
Invoking Rajiv Gandhi over disruptions, Modi read out a statement made by the former Prime Minister in which he had expressed “pain” over stalling of Parliament and said that while it hurts the government, it equally hurts the members of the opposition who want to raise issues of their concern.
He said because of the will of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, some bills were passed in Lok Sabha but those could not move ahead, suggesting that they got stuck in Rajya Sabha.
Taking on the Congress for mocking at his ambitious project of constructing toilets, the Prime Minister sarcastically said that if this task had been accomplished earlier, he would not have had to do it.
Similarly, he referred to the Bangladesh border dispute which was settled after four decades and told Congress benches, “You can say that ‘if we had settled it, how would you do it’. You may say that ‘We left it for you to do’.”
He said 18,000 villages of the country were in darkness even so many years after Independence and this was the Congress’ “gift” which “we do not deny”.
Responding to Congress contention that MNREGA was the baby of previous UPA Government and that the NDA regime had repackaged and usurped it, Modi dwelt into the history and said such a programme had first been initiated in Maharashtra in 1972.
He said such schemes for the poor have been going on for decades under various names and in different versions and that once Jawaharlal Nehru’s name was “removed by same party which curses us”.
On Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s charge about corruption in MNREGA, the Prime Minister said, “I agree 1000 per cent” and went on to suggest that it was during the tenure of previous UPA Government.
He said CAG had said in its report of 2012 pointed out how corruption was linked to MNREGA. “We have tried to learn something from that. We are trying to make it foolproof and ensure that targeted people get benefits,” he added.
CAG has said MNREGA has not reached most of the places inhabited by the poor, Modi said, adding his government has linked it to Jan Dhan and other schemes and “hopefully we will be able to eliminate the middlemen”.
While the Prime Minister was speaking, Rahul was seen leaving the House, prompting BJP benches to take a dig at the Congress leader. Rahul, who was yet to reach the exit gate, returned to his seat and then again went back and left.
As BJP members were making some comments against Rahul, Modi told them to desist from that.
Asking Congress to accept that it has brought the country to such a pass, Modi said had there been no poverty, there would have been no need for MNREGA.
While taking on Congress, he said it was suffering from a “feeling of jealousy” as it is concerned as to why the NDA government is doing “well”. He said Congress is worried that ‘What we could not do in 60 years, how could you do it?’
He drew comparisons of the performance of his government with the UPA governments, particularly in the context of constructing roads and implementation of MNREGA.
“I invite intellectuals to do study of Atalji’s Gram Sadak Yojana and MNREGA,” Modi said.
Talking about Food Security Act brought by the UPA, he said it had not been implemented by four Congress-ruled states, including poll-bound Kerala.
“You enjoy talking Gujarat…. Your own government in Kerala has not implemented it. You are going to polls there with full force. People will ask why your government did not implement FSA,” he said.
Among the digs he took at Congress, the Prime Minister said, “I can’t say I started Rail. You can say that. You can say anything. But we do not have the courage to do so.”
Apparently responding to allegations of disallowing dissent, he narrated an anecdote related to President Nikita Krushchev of erstwhile Soviet Union.
“After Stalin died, Krushchev would criticise him wherever he went. At one meeting, Krushchev was criticising Stalin and one youth said, ‘you have worked with Stalin, then why are you criticising him now?… Krushchev replied, ‘I wished to do the same in Stalin era but could not. You can do it. Got the answer?”
Modi, who noted that he was first-time MP, praised Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh, saying the similarity between him and the “veteran leader” is that they both like Lohia. (PTI)
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