Prime Minister Narendra Modi today replied to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha.
PM Modi, while addressing the Rajya Sabha said how the world is currently fighting a lot of adversities. “No one would have thought we will pass through such difficult times, with such challenges,” he said.
Speaking on the challenges faced during Chinese coronavirus, PM Modi said that the world was and is looking at India. When people were not sure which medicine would work for the virus, people were looking for Indian pharmaceuticals for the medicines. Similarly, now India has undertaken the biggest vaccination programme. And now the world is looking at us for the vaccines, he said.
PM Modi takes on Opposition
PM Modi took on the opposition leaders, PM Modi said that he was listening to TMC MP Derek O’Brien and that he has chosen ‘good words’. Repeating the words he had, PM Modi said, “He had chosen good words – Freedom of Speech, Intimidation. When I was listening to him, I was wondering if he is talking about Bengal or the country. He sees all this for 24 hours, so he might have said the same here too.”
TMC MPs staged a walkout before the PM started his reply to the Motion of Thanks to President’s address.
He further took on Congress and said, “Bajwa sahab from Congress was also speaking. He was speaking in such detail that I thought he will reach Emergency (period) shortly and speak on it. (Since) he was just one step away from it. But he didn’t go there. Congress disappoints this country a lot, you did that too.”
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in India is considered the darkest period in history of Independent India.
PM Modi on global conspiracy to defame India
PM Modi also spoke about the global conspiracy to defame India and said that Indian democracy is not a western institution but a human one. “Today it’s essential to warn citizens about the attacks on India’s nationalism,” he said.
Citing Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he said, “India’s nationalism is neither narrow now selfish and not even aggressive. This is inspired by the values of ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’.” He further said how sometimes, some people in India start cursing ourselves instead of feeling proud. “I sometimes get surprised, world gives us a term & we start following it – ‘Largest democracy of the world’. It feels good to hear this but we didn’t teach our youth that India is the mother of democracy,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi on farm laws and ‘naraaj phoophaji’ of Parliament
PM Modi said that most discussions on the farm laws revolved around the protests and not the laws. No one is talking about the reason behind the protests. “It would have been better if the discussions were held on the points of contention instead of protests,” PM Modi said.
Speaking of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, who is often hailed as the champion of Indian peasants’, PM Modi said how he was always worried about the sad state of small farmers. Citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said, that those who are currently making u-turns on the farm laws, will at least agree with him.
“There are other rigidities because of the whole marketing regime setup in the 1930s which prevent our farmers from selling their produce where they get the highest rate of returns. It is our intention to remove all those handicaps which come in the way of India realizing its vast potential as one large common market,” PM Modi quoted Dr Singh. PM Modi said that even the Congress leader and former Prime Minister talked about free market for farmers, which the current laws are providing.
“Sharad Pawar ji, and those from Congress, everyone… all governments have stood for agricultural reforms. Whether they were able to do it or not, but everyone has advocated that it should be done. If you are crying that we were not consulted individually, then well, this is like a family and in every family there is an angry phoophaji (uncle) who is upset why was I not consulted,” he said.
PM Modi reiterated that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will stay, as against the propaganda spread by the so-called farmer leaders.
PM Modi on Sikhs
Tearing into the propaganda to wedge a divide between the Hindus and Sikhs by certain elements, PM Modi said how the country is proud of every Sikh in India. “What have they not done for this country? Whatever respect we give them will always be less. I’ve been fortunate to spend crucial years of my life in Punjab. Language used by some for them and attempt to mislead them will never benefit nation,” PM Modi said.
There has been concerted effort by certain section, especially those funded and backed by Khalistani separatists to pit the current Punjab farmer protests as ‘Sikhs vs Hindus’. Even during the tractor rally riots, certain elements hoisted multiple flags with the holy Sikh symbol on the Red Fort where the Tricolour flies in a bid to portray the Sikh supremacy. This was celebrated by certain section of political parties and ‘liberals’ in Indian media and abroad as well.
PM Modi takes on professional protestors
Mocking the professional protestors, who have taken up protesting as a profession, PM Modi said that these ‘andolan jivis’ can be spotted wherever there is a protest, be it agitation by lawyers, students, or labourers, explicitly or implicitly. “They cannot live without ‘andolan’, we have to identify them and protect nation from them,” PM Modi said.
