Despite spreading lies, they lost: PM Modi's dig at Opposition in Lok Sabha

Sholay's 'Mausi', Parasite, 'Baalak buddhi', 'Tumse na ho payega...', PM Modi attacks INDIA bloc and LoP Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha, replying to the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday replied to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha, marking his first address on the floor of the House since securing a third term in office.

“The public has chosen us in the world’s largest election campaign and I can understand the pain of some people. Even after spreading lies, they tasted defeat,” PM Modi said, amid sloganeering of the Opposition.  

 

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, "The public has chosen us in the world's largest election campaign and I can understand the pain of some people. Despite spreading lies continuously, they suffered a huge defeat." pic.twitter.com/RFEtG1EVL6

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024

Opposition protests during Prime Minister's speech

The Opposition led by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc re-emerged with renewed vigour in the Parliament, determined to make their voices heard. They strategically chose the moment when Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to respond to the President’s address to stage their protest. The catalyst for their actions was the Prime Minister’s speech coinciding with a representative from Manipur attempting to speak.

 

As the Prime Minister began his speech, the Members of Parliament (MPs) intensified their protests with louder slogans and table thumping. Chants of "Manipur, Manipur," "Tanashahi nahi chalegi (We won't allow dictatorship)," and "Justice for Manipur" echoed through the chamber.

Undeterred, the Prime Minister continued, “The people of India have given us the opportunity to work for the third time. They have given us a mandate. They saw our track record of ten years. Two hundred fifty million people came out of poverty. This has never happened since independence.”

Reaffirming his government's commitment to eradicating corruption, Prime Minister Modi recalled the promises made when he first assumed office. "When we came for the first time in 2014, we had promised zero tolerance against corruption," he said.

"Corruption had ravaged the country like termites. However, the countrymen have blessed us for our zero-tolerance approach to corruption," he added.

Nation-first policy

Highlighting the government's guiding principles, Prime Minister Modi reiterated, "'Nation First', 'India First' guides every policy, decision, and action of ours." He contrasted this with what he termed a history of appeasement-based politics and governance.

"In the last ten years, our government has been working with the objective of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'. This country has seen the politics of appeasement for a long time; this country has seen the model of governance of appeasement for a long time. We have moved forward with the idea of 'santushtikaran', not appeasement," he said.

"Justice for all, appeasement to none," he added.

Achievements in Jammu and Kashmir

While commending his government’s actions and schemes, Prime Minister Modi also highlighted that the Opposition couldn’t bring in the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, adding that Article 370 had taken away people’s rights.

"People who now dance with the Constitution did not dare to apply it there. Security forces were stoned. People said nothing could happen. After the abrogation of Article 370, stone pelting is over. People are trusting the Constitution, flag, and democracy of India and voting in large numbers," he said.

NDA's historic achievement

Hailing the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) third term as a historic achievement, the Prime Minister said, "After independence, this has happened for the second time, and after 60 years. This shows how much hard work is required for this achievement. It is not done by playing politics but through the blessings of the people. We have got a mandate for stability and decisive work."

"There were four state elections along with the Lok Sabha polls. The NDA got unprecedented success in all four states. Mahaprabhu Jagannath’s land Odisha has blessed us. In Andhra Pradesh, there has been an NDA clean sweep. In Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, the NDA is back. Six months ago, we won Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh," he added.

'Congress a parasite for its allies'

Hitting out at the Congress, Prime Minister Modi said that the party has won its seats on the back of its allies.

"If you analyse the results of just-concluded Lok Sabha results, you will see that where the Congress fought alone it could not win many seats. But in states where the grand old party piggybacked on other parties, it made considerable gains," PM Modi said.

"This shows that Congress now eats away the votes of parties with which it associates like a parasite," he added.

PM Modi recalls Sholay's iconic 'mausi' scene

Prime Minister Modi evoked the iconic "Mausi" scene from the classic Bollywood film Sholay during his recent address, drawing laughter from the treasury benches. In the scene, Amitabh Bachchan's character, Jai, humorously persuades Mausi (played by Leela Mishra) to agree to Basanti (Hema Malini) and Veeru's (Dharmendra) marriage proposal by highlighting Veeru's love and determination.

PM Modi quipped, "'Arey Mausi, teesri baar toh haare hai... but Mausi, it's at least a moral victory'. Are Mausi ji, 13 rajyon me zero seat aayi hai to kya hua, hero to hai na...[Mausi, we got zero seats in 13 states, but I am a hero]."

In a light-hearted manner, PM Modi also ridiculed the Congress's performance by likening it to a child who proudly claims to have scored 99 marks on an exam, only for others to realise the score was 99 out of 543, not 100.

VIDEO | "The remarks by Congress leaders have left behind dialogues of Sholay film. You all must remember the 'Mausi' from the film Sholay... (PM enacts to take a jibe at Congress)," says PM.

"I would like to tell Congress people not to suppress the mandate by celebrating fake… pic.twitter.com/brAKkb9QJx

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 2, 2024

'Congress is bent on spreading chaos'

The Prime Minister further said that even as the country chose the path of development, the Congress is bent on spreading chaos. 

"They speak against the North in the South, and against the West in the North. They have tried to divide based on religion and even gave election tickets to those who had advocated the division of the country. They are spreading rumours to divide people on caste grounds. They are also attempting to spread economic chaos. The way they are taking economic decisions in their states is taking the country towards a financial crisis. They tried to bring the Indian democratic system under a question mark. They spread chaos on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The whole ecosystem promoted this to fulfill their political ends. They tried to provoke riots in the country," he said.

While hitting out at Congress' campaign promise of giving financial assistance of Rs 8,500 per month to every woman, Prime Minister Modi said the Congress has lied about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the Constitution, reservation, Rafale, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and banks. 

"On Agniveer, there were lies told to the House. The same was said about Minimum Support Prices (MSPs). It is the House’s bad fortune that its dignity is being hurt. A party that has sat here for 60 years and knows the work of government – when it chooses the path of chaos, we get proof that the country is moving in a dangerous direction. This is an insult to our freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the country," he added.

From 'tumse na ho payega' to 'balak budhhi'

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi said, “A new drama has been started to gain sympathy but the country knows the truth that he [Rahuk Gandhi] is out on bail in a case of embezzlement of thousands of crore of rupees. He has been convicted in a case of calling OBC people thieves."

“He had to apologise after making an irresponsible statement in the Supreme Court. There is a case against him for insulting a great personality like great freedom fighter Veer Savarkar... Today the country is telling him, "tumse na ho payega,” he said.

 

#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, "...A new drama has been started to gain sympathy but the country knows the truth that he (Rahul Gandhi) is out on bail in a case of embezzlement of thousands of crores of rupees. He has been convicted in a case of calling OBC people thieves. He… pic.twitter.com/7ZcGqoiTyD

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024

“Jab inn par balak buddhi puri tarah se sawar ho jati hai to ye sadan me kisi ke bhi gale pad jaate hai, ye balak buddhi apni seemaye kho deti hai aur sadan me baith kar aankh maarte hai [When they are completely overtaken by childish behaviour, they start arguing with anyone in the House. This childish behaviour makes them forget their limits, and they sit in the House and wink]," he added.

 

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "...'Jab yeh baalak buddhi poori tarah sawaar ho jati hai toh sadan mein bhi kisi ke gale pad jate hai. Yeh baalak buddhi jab apni seemaye kho deti hai, toh sadan ke andar baithke aankhein maarte hain..." pic.twitter.com/vX6GBUFyHD

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024

PM Modi counters Rahul Gandhi’s fiery debut

The Prime Minister’s response followed closely on the heels of Rahul Gandhi’s fiery debut as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, which had captivated the house with its intensity. 

Gandhi’s maiden address, spanning 62 minutes, touched upon a broad spectrum of contentious issues. He discussed the ethnic conflict in Manipur, the NEET controversy, the Agnipath scheme for military recruitment, the ongoing farm crisis, inflation, and the politics of hate. 

Gandhi’s speech also sparked reactions from key figures on the treasury benches, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Gandhi of linking Hinduism with violence, alleging that he had hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community and disrespected the position of leader of the Opposition. Gandhi, however, clarified that his remarks were directed at the BJP and emphasised that the ruling party does not exclusively represent Hinduism.

Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, the leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge also targeted the Prime Minister, accusing him of delivering divisive speeches during the Lok Sabha campaign.