Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said “I can see the mood of the country; in the coming general elections, the NDA will get 400 seats and the BJP 370,” considering the Government’s achievements and break-ups in the Opposition.
He was replying to the Lok Sabha debate on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address before a joint sitting of Parliament. The Motion was approved by the House.
The Prime Minister said the nation paid a heavy price for Nehru’s mistakes on Kashmir and his Government abrogated Article 370 and brought unseen pace to development in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NDA Government’s achievements in helping the poor, the youth, women and the farmer community, including fishermen, in the last one decade were several times the work done by Congress Governments in their decades of rule, Mr Modi said.
“The speed with which India is moving forward, we are sure that in our third term, India will be the world’s third largest economy and this is Modi’s Guarantee,” he said. The Congress is under control of a family, it never appreciated the nation’s strength and had limited vision of its progress, he said.
Despite disturbances from Opposition benches, Mr Modi patiently narrated the nation’s achievements and asked all to join in securing a leadership role for the country in the world for which an unprecedented opportunity has emerged.
Considering the state of the Opposition, the Prime Minister said it is definite that it will continue to occupy its present place in the House after the next elections, and later sit in the Visitors’ Gallery of the House. The Opposition has come to this level because of the Congress, he said.
“Even leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Khargeji had said the BJP will get past the 400 score in its seats after next Lok Sabha polls,” he said. Mr Modi blasted the Opposition for a separate nation talk. He said attempts are being made to break the nation; “how long will you continue to break the nation,” he asked the Opposition.
The Prime Miniter said he will not stop his fight against corruption Central agencies are independent, and the work of judgement is of the judiciary. “Those who looted the nation, will have to return the money. Let them make any charges against me, they will have to return the money,” he said.
“I can understand the Congress anger, agencies are taking action against corruption; see the words being used,” he said.
The Government’s reforms removed 10 crore bogus names from lists of beneficiaries of welfare schemes, added during the Congress rule, he said. Widow pension was being paid to women not even born. Lot of people have stopped getting commissions. The Government has saved Rs 3 lakh crore by ending bogus lists, he said.
ED seized Rs 5000 crore during the entire Congress rule; Rs 1 lakh crore seizures have been made during the NDA rule, he said.
The Prime Minister said all parties should consider this. “Today, people convicted of corruption are publicly honoured. There can be an excuse for people who have been just accused, but here we have the convicted being praised. In a democracy, such things cannot continue, and will finish those who indulge in this behaviour.”
He said the nation today feels secure; terrorism and naxalism have been reduced to limited area. The policy of Zero tolerance for terrorism will continue; the world appreciates this and is trying to follow India in this. The nation is proud of its armed forces, “I have seen their confidence; you can’t demoralise them. You cannot become somebody’s agent and speak against them.”
The Prime Minister said Nehru and Indiraji talked about price-rise helplessly from Red Fort, but his Government had kept inflation under control. Inflation was double-digit during Congress rule.
The Congress never did justice to OBCs, in fact it insulted their leaders, the Prime Minister said. Karpoori Thakur, who has been honoured with Bharat Ratna award some days ago, was harassed in 1970 when he was Chief Minister of Bihar and attempts were made to destabilise his Government. Later, he was not recognised as leader of the Opposition.
“How many OBCs are in the government now, the Congress wants to know; can’t they see me, an OBC in my post,” he said. During the UPA Government, an extra-Constitutional body was created, the National Advisory Council, “was there any OBC in this,” he asked.
The President’s address is a document based on facts. Rs 12 lakh crores were spent on infrastructure in 10 years before 2014. His Government spent Rs 44 lakh crore in the last 10 years on infrastructure. “So much has been created, and you can imagine the jobs as a result,” he said.