PM takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi, says 'earthquake has occurred'

It was a virtual face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Congress in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks for the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament, the Prime Minister, in his 90-minute speech, attacked the Congress for recognising only the role of “one family” in the freedom struggle and neglecting the contributions of others.

Using his trademark sarcasm and wit to elicit peals of laughter, he said: “The earthquake has finally occurred,” referring to the quake that hit Uttarakhand and other parts of north India on Monday. In fact, he was taking a swipe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who, during the last monsoon session of Parliament, had warned that if he was allowed to speak in the House about the notes ban, “an earthquake (would) happen”.

He repeatedly reminded the Congress that he was only implementing their wisdom. He cited the Benami Properties Act, which was enacted in 1988 during the late Rajiv Gandhi's regime, but which was not notified in the next 26 years, wondering why and by which family it was suppressed.

Modi will, on Wednesday, address the Rajya Sabha on the same motion. The House wanted him to speak on Tuesday evening but he preferred the next day.

The PM's sharp-witted attack on the Congress included a retort to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who said that while Indira Gandhi had sacrificed her life for the nation, the PM cannot claim the patriotism of “even a dog from his family.” The PM said today: "Hum kutton wali parampara se pale bade nahin hain. (We are not brought up in this sort of obsequious tradition).”

“You will have to study Modi as I do not take any decision in haste as contended while criticising demonetization,” he said, asserting that the decision was not taken for any political mileage but for the benefit of the poor. Modi said that he was prepared to face the music from the rich who will have more pain in the coming days.

“Howsoever big you may be, you will have to return the poor's rights. I won't back out. I will keep fighting for the poor," he said, pointing out that it was this (wealthy) group that had kept on looting the poor's rights because of which India could not reach its potential. When an Opposition member shouted about Mukesh Ambani group's launch of Jio mobile, he quipped: "Voh jinki agency hogi, voh bolenge (The agency running it will reply.)”

He also justified the timing of the sudden decision to scrap high-value notes when the economy was doing fine, asserting that it was the most opportune time when India could handle it the best. “The ban was timed to coincide with the lull after a peak in trade during the Diwali festival.” He also ridiculed those criticising over 100 amendments since demonetization, reminding the House that as many as 1,035 rules were changed by the previous government in case of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Modi cited a national optical fibre network launched by the UPA government in 2011-14, but implemented only in 59 villages while his government decentralised procurement and took all states into confidence to extend it to 76,000 villages, and, that too, with last-mile connectivity to take it to schools, panchayats, etc.

He also justified the merger of the Railway Budget with the Union Budget, pointing out that the Railways was the only main transportation mode in the past, but the transportation needs cannot be resolved unless all modes of transport are tackled comprehensively. He said that 1,500 announcements inprevious Railway Budgets were only on paper, and that someone should take the responsibility for the false promises.

Modi also wondered why Congress members were complaining about digital banking. “Yes, Rajiv Gandhi brought mobiles to India and If I add them for digital banking, you say they do not exist. Even if mobile connectivity is only 40 per cent, should not these be connected to the modern way of banking transactions?” he asked.

Even as the Congress called him arrogant and vengeful, referring to the his highlighting of the poor performance in the past, Modi replied to Opposition charges on various issues and even chose to speak on the role of the RSS in the freedom struggle.

He said that there are millions like him who could not die for the country in the freedom struggle but they are living for the country and serving the country. On the surgical strikes by the Indian Army in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Modi stated that the Opposition questioned surgical strikes initially, but later stopped it. He said that the Opposition would also stop questioning demonetization as time passes by. He also asked political parties to think about holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies as it would help in managing expenditure, he said.

Rahul Gandhi criticised the Prime Minister’s speech, saying he had mocked the tragedy of Uttarakhand and insulted the Freedom Struggle without replying to questions by MPs.