Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave a hard-hitting speech in Lok Sabha, targeting the Gandhi family and the legacy of Congress party. From “injustice to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel” to “partition of India”, PM Modi blamed the Congress party for several instances since history. The opposition was, however, quick to respond to the attack by the Prime Minister, with the counter-attack led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and senior party leader Shashi Tharoor.
Hitting out the Prime Minister outside Parliament, Tharoor termed his Lok Sabha speech as “a farrago of misrepresentations and half-truth”.
He said, “Prime Minister may be a terrific orator, but this speech (in Lok Sabha) was a farrago of misrepresentations and half-truth. I mean to claim credit for example lowering the price of solar panels when everyone knows that worldwide solar panel prices have gone down.”
“To claim credit for lowering of prices for gas contract, of course gas prices have gone down. In fact at the pump, why we are paying more for petrol and diesel. Since UPA’s time, prices of petrol and diesel have gone up,” he added.
He further questioned the Prime Minister for comparing the last three years of UPA with the first three years of the NDA. “Why doesn’t he compare an average of 10 years of UPA with first three years average of NDA, he will find many different numbers,” said Tharoor.
“I think the problem was that the facts and figures given were simply not the kinds of figure that can stand up to detailed scrutiny. And I think the public would realise this,” he added.
Before Tharoor, Congress president Rahul Gandhi also posed some questions to PM Modi shortly after his speech. Addressing mediapersons, Rahul Gandhi asked as to why the Prime Minister did not speak about the Rafale deal.
“PM Modi spoke for over an hour, but said nothing about Rafale deal. We have just three questioned that the PM needs to answer - Did he consult Cabinet group on security before the deal? What was the price paid for the aircraft? Was there any discrepancy in the deal?” said the Congress president.
Accusing the Prime Minister of avoiding real issues in his speech, the Gandhi scion pointed that the Prime Minister did not talk about needs of farmers and or job opportunities. "I think Modi ji has forgotten that he is the PM now, he should answer questions and not always accuse the opposition," said the Congress president, adding that, "It was a totally political speech."
Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi launched a fierce attack on the Congress party, accusing it of muzzling democracy and causing the partition of India. Addressing the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister attacked the Gandhi family as well and said that the Congress had no right to talk about democracy.
Amid “jumlabazi band karo” slogans by members of opposition parties on the floor of the House, the Prime Minister said that “the country is suffering today because of the sins committed by the Congress party in the past”.
“Had the Congress governments in the past worked responsibly, they would have taken the country to new heights. Had they kept the right directions with right intentions, this country would have been in a much better position at present,” said PM Modi.
Referring to Jawaharlal Nehru becoming the first prime minister of India, Modi said that despite getting votes in his favour, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was not allowed to become the Prime Minister of India.
Claiming that Sardar Patel being the first prime minister of India would have solved the Kashmir issue, he said, “What was the democracy that prevented Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from becoming the Prime Minister of India despite him getting the votes? Had Sardar been our first prime minister, a part of Kashmir that is with Pakistan would have been a part of India.”
