Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Congress is steeped in negativity and incapable of giving hope to the country, while his Government looks forward to its third term in office shortly, focusing on better quality of life, and extending free rations for 80 crore people and other schemes.
“Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is not just a slogan, it is Modi’s Guarantee,” he said replying to the Rajya Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament. The Motion was adopted by the House.
Mr Modi said in the next five years of its third term, his government would continue to support the 25 crore people who have come out of poverty, giving the neo-middle class the “Modi kavach” shield.
The prime minister said he could read the mood of the people; the Congress “warranty” is over and people will believe in the guarantee given by his government, seeing the changes in every part of life across the country.
Amidst shouts of “Modi, Modi” from BJP benches, the prime minister said Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 is a commitment of his government and no “word-coinage”, and will mark the beginning of a golden period for India.
The prime minister told the Congress members they could not suppress his voice; people had given him energy to speak. Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge had “blessed him with 400 seats in the next election,” he said.
The Congress, he said, should know reality, it is “outdated,” and the West Bengal chief minister had said the Congress would not get more than 40 seats.
Mr Modi said the Congress was short on facts and unable to appreciate the transformation the country has undergone in the last 10 years. The Opposition party is trying to provoke people, and posing a threat to the nation’s unity by its talk in regional terms, he said.
This nation is not a piece of land, how anyone can talk of “my taxes, my money”, he said. At this rate, the Himalayas can say rivers come out of them and the water is theirs; coal-producing states can say all coal is theirs, and vaccines are for States which produce them, the prime minister said.
In the next term of his government, schemes for free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman, 80 per cent cheaper medicines, pucca housing, tap water, and farmers’ Samman Nidhi will continue. This is his guarantee, he said.
Mr Modi said his government believes that for the nation’s progress, the development of the states is important. The government is encouraging competitive and cooperative federalism so that they compete and progress, and should not suffer, as Gujarat suffered when he was its chief minister.
Mr Modi said, as chief minister, it was impossible for him to get appointments with Central ministers for any work. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flew over to Gujarat when he invited him to visit it for a natural calamity.
On the other hand, he said he held 20 meetings with chief ministers during the Covid pandemic and the states did praise-worthy work. As part of the G-20 Summit, there were 200 meetings held in states so that the visitors could see the Indian States. In the transformation of the country’s aspirational districts, he said, 80 per cent of the work was done by the States.
The prime minister said the Congress had “strangled” democracy in its lust for power, dismissed democratically-elected governments and newspapers closed. The Congress cannot lecture on federalism as it had tried to divide the country on language, he said.
The Congress never cared for the OBCs, and had brought the country’s economy to 11th place in the world from 12th, while his government had brought it to the fifth place among world economies, he said.
Indian economy was fragile; the slave mentality ruled and British laws continued during the Congress rule, he said. The Indian culture was looked down upon and Nehru had in his letter to Chief Ministers opposed reservation for any caste.
His government ended Article 370, brought benefits of several laws in Jammu and Kashmir, and focused on women, youth, farmers and poor. For the first time, an Adivasi woman had become President of the country.
In his next term, the number of doctors and medical colleges in the country will go up, and treatment will be cheaper. People will be provided solar power so that their power Bills become zero. Piped gas connections will be provided all over the country, youth power will blossom with lakhs of start-ups and unicorns.
Mr Modi said research funding will ensure record patents for the country. Children will get money for higher education; India will get more sports medals, the poor will get cheap transport, the Bullet train will materialise in five years.
In the next five years, India will make its name in semiconductors and try to become self-sufficient in petroleum products which are imported now, he said. India will move forward in green hydrogen, ethanol use in fuel will bring money to farmers, edible oil imports will stop.
The prime minister said the country would go for natural farming in a big way, and millets will be called super-foods. Nano-tech will be used in agriculture, the number of Drone Didis will go up and storage of foodgrains will help farmers get better prices for their produce.
He said animal husbandry, fisheries, tourism, Digital India, fintech will see growth along with artificial intelligence. Space missions will surprise the world. There are 10 crore women in Self Help Groups and three crore Lakhpati Didis and their number will grow.