On 10th August 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Lok Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament. Narendra Modi was answering the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition.
The main portions of the speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are as follows:
So many senior members have put their thoughts in the last three days here. Most of them reached out to me in ample detail. I have also listened to a few of them. I thank the crores of people in the country who have repeatedly expressed their confidence in us. The almighty is very kind. He makes out a way to fulfil his plans. I consider it a blessing of God that He suggested the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion. Just the same was the case in 2018 when a no-confidence motion was against us. I had said at that time that this is not our floor test. It was actually the floor test of the opposition who could not even secure the actual number they had at that time. After that in the general elections, the people of India showed no confidence in them. BJP’s seat tally increased and so did that of the NDA. Therefore a no-confidence motion is a blessing for BJP and NDA. I am sure that NDA and BJP will come back to power breaking all the records again in 2024.
The opposition should have seriously participated in this monsoon session right from the beginning because so many important bills were discussed and passed here. Data is a new oil. Digital Data Protection Bill was so important. But their priority was politics. They care for their politics but not for the youth of the country and poor farmers of the country. They made the housework on the terms of their allies. And what kind of discussions you held on this no-confidence motion too? Your court attendants in the media are also not happy. You set the fielding and we were hitting fours and sixes on your no balls one after the other. Why does not the opposition prepare well? I even gave you a time of five years, still, you did not prepare well. This is your present condition.
The opposition has a habit of being flexed everywhere. But they should remember that the people are also watching you. I would like to tell them that those who don’t have their own accounts in place are expecting accountability from us. The discussions in this no-confidence motion are like never before. The leader of the biggest party in the opposition was not given a chance to speak. In 1999, Atal Ji’s government faced a no-confidence motion. Sharad Pawar led the debate as a leader of the opposition. So did Sonia Gandhi in 2003 and Mallikarjun Kharge in 2018. Adhir Ranjan Choudhury on the other hand was not given a chance this time. Congress knows how to spoil the good things like making dung out of jaggery. I don’t know why he was sidelined. Was there any call from Kolkata? Congress insults him again and again. In the name of elections, Congress removes him as a floor leader temporarily. We have full sympathy towards Adhir Babu.
Every country has a time when it takes firm steps to march ahead. I talk with all my experience that this time of the century is the opportunity for India to fulfil all its dreams. We all are going through such a crucial time period. I say this with confidence that this time will have an impact on this country for the upcoming 1000 years because 140 crore countrymen are putting in a joint effort to lay the foundation of the next 1000 years. We have a great responsibility while living in this time. And our only duty is to achieve development, its resolve and our efforts to manifest our resolve. The world today believes in the caliber of our youth and we should also believe in them. They can take us from Sankalp to Siddhi. In 2014, the people of India voted for a government with a full majority of power. In 2019, looking at the track records, they repeated the same because they knew who can fulfil their dreams. And people gave us another chance to serve them, this time with more firm backing. Every person in this house is responsible to provide opportunities to every citizen of this country as per their aspirations. We gave a scam-free government to the youth of India. We gave them the confidence and chance to fly in the open sky. We re-established the lost identity of India on the global stage.
When we were doing this all, the opposition gave a futile attempt to break the belief of the people in the guise of this no-confidence motion. today India is known for a record number of start-ups, FDI, exports and whatnot. They cannot listen to this all quietly. Today the poor have the confidence to fulfil their dreams. Poverty is reducing very rapidly. 13.5 crore people came out of poverty in the last five years. IMF writes in its paper that India has almost eliminated extreme poverty. IMF has called our social welfare schemes a logistical marvel. WHO said that through Jal Jeevan Mission India is saving 4 lakh lives every year. Who are these 4 lakhs? They are our own family members who come from poor strata.
WHO analysed Swach Bharat Mission and said that it saved 3 lakh deaths. Who are these 3 lakhs? they are the people living in very difficult conditions in the urban slums and rural areas. They are the deprived ones who were saved by this scheme. UNICEF said that due to Swach Bharat Mission, the poor saved Rs 50000. But these people including Congress and other opposition don’t believe what people in the world can see from so far away. They are full of disbelief and ego. They do not see the confidence shown by the people of the country. No one can help this ostrich tendency. This is like a Kala Tika put on so as to secure all the auspicious things happening here. because you came here to the house wearing black clothes.
In the last three days, the opposition brought up so many abusive words. I don’t know how many dictionaries they might have referred to. It is good that they get a catharsis through it. They abuse me every now and then. Their favourite one is Modi Teri Kabr Khudegi. But I make a tonic out of their abuses. But why does this happen? I will tell you the secret behind it today. I firmly believe now that the opposition has got a secret blessing. It is that whom they think ill of is blessed with everything. One example is here. 20 years now. So many attacks but nothing harmed me. I can prove it with three examples.
There were talks about the banking sector getting doomed. they would bring big-shot scholars from foreign countries to tell this so that people would believe them. What did happen? Our public sector banks are registering a net profit of more than 2 folds. They doomed the banks with NPA. Now, we have come out of that problem and Nirmala ji has told it in detail today morning.
The second example is HAL which makes our defence helicopters. They harmed it so much and said so many things about it defaming it in the world. They said HAL is finished. India’s defence industry is finished. In those days HAL factory doors were filmed when their workers were holding strikes. Those workers were also threatened with lies. Now, see HAL is reaching new heights of success. It has registered its highest revenue ever. This is despite the lies and accusations by the opposition. They also tried to instigate HAL workers but HAL achieved so much despite this.
Third example of the blessings opposition has is LIC, They said so many bad things about LIC. But LIC is doing so well. For people treading in share market, there is a tip. Invest in the public sector companies whom opposition abuses. The institutes they blame get a better fortune. The way they abuse the nation and democracy I am sure the nation and democracy will become stronger.
They don’t believe in the efforts, hard work and capacity of the country. I said a few days ago that in the third tenure of our government, Bharat will become the third-largest economy. Had they been a responsible opposition, they would have asked us how we are going to do this. Should I teach this also to you? Or they could have told the people that they will make India number one. But see their political narrative. See the lack of innovative ideas. See the ill-experienced talks. They say that this feat will anyways be achieved. They say we will be the third economy just like that. If they are to be believed, it proves that they do not have any policy, vision or knowledge about the strengths of the Indian economy. That is why during the Congress regime India kept growing the poverty.
In 1991, we were about to become bankrupt. We swung between 10 to 15 spots in the top economy list. But in the BJP regime, we are among the top 5. Congress thinks that it happened just like that. But we believe in Reform, Perform and Transform. Added to that we plan things and do hard work. Make changes in the plan when necessary. And this is how we are going to be the third-largest economy.
I also want to express the confidence of the nation through my words. The country is confident that when you will bring the no-confidence motion again in 2028, the nation will be among the first three economies. This is the confidence of the nation.
No confidence is their trait. We gave a call to Swach Bharat. they doubted it. We started to build toilets. They doubted saying that ‘Is this topic to be discussed from Red For?’. They did the same with Yog Divas, Startup India. We talked about Digital India. They doubted that too. We talked about Make in India. they made fun of it. Congress party never believed in the capacity of India. This is their track record.
And whom do they believe? Let me tell you. Pakistan would attack us every now and then. And they loved Pakistan so much that they believed Pakistan when Pakistan used to run away from responsibility for terrorist attacks. Kashmir was burning because of terrorism. Congress’s government did not believe the people of Kashmir but Congress believed Hurriyat, separatists and those who raise the Pakistani flag. We executed surgical strikes and air strikes. they did not believe Indian Army. They believe anyone who abuses India in the world. They enjoy defaming India. They give importance to any small thing against India and amplify it here in India. They did not trust the Made in India vaccine against coronavirus. They advocated a foreign vaccine. People believed in the Made in India vaccine. They don’t believe in the people and capacity of India. I want to tell here that the people of India have a deep feeling of no confidence towards Congress. Congress is so full of its ego that it cannot see the ground reality.
In so many parts of the country, Congress has not won for decades. They won in Tamil Nadu for the last time in 1962. For the last 61 years, Tamil Nadu is saying Congress – no confidence. In West Bengal, they won for the last time in 1972. For the last 51 years, West Bengal is saying Congress – has no confidence. For the last 38 years, Bihar Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is saying Congress – no confidence. For 28 years, Odisha is saying Congress – no confidence. For the last so many years, Assam and Tripura is saying Congress – no confidence. In states like Delhi, they do not have a single elected MLA.
I sympathise with the opposition leaders. Some days ago, in Bengaluru, you came together to cremate the 20-year-old UPA. I should have expressed my sorrows at that time only. But it is not my fault that I am late. Because when you were cremating UPA, you were celebrating the process of applying plaster on the ruins of a building. You fought for credit for naming the new alliance. And you are taking this alliance in front of the people. Who you are following? those who do not have any understanding of the culture of this country. they do not know any difference between red chilly and green chilly. But you people know the Indian traditions. The people hiding behind false identities are ultimately exposed. Those who just have a name to save themselves are well described in our sayings. Those who call themselves fighters are running away from the battlefield and those who call themselves the luckiest ones are the most ill-fated ones. They had to take the support of the NDA to keep themselves alive. But according to their ego, they added two I’s in the NDA. One I represents the ego of one family. Other I represent the ego of all the parties. To steal NDA, they broke INDIA into I.N.D.I.A.
UPA thinks that its credibility may increase by using the name of the country. Their alliance partner DMK’s minister from Tamil Nadu has recently said that India does not matter to him. According to him, Tamil Nadu is not in India. In fact, Tamil Nadu is the state that always batted for patriotism. And such voices are appearing from there. You have so many internal conflicts and paradoxes you should introspect upon.
The obsession with a name is not their new trait. It is a decades-old thing. they think that they can rule the country by changing their name. The poor see their names and cannot see any work, as they did nothing. Hospitals, roads, schools, parks, sports awards, airports, and whatnot. Everything has its name. They ran schemes in their name and looted money under those schemes. The poor did not get anything. Nothing regarding their identity is their own. nothing belongs to them. They claim that their name, electoral sign etc. belong to them. But everything is borrowed from someone else. But they cannot hide the ego of their party.
Their founder AO Hume is a foreigner. In 1920, the people of India adopted a flag Congress stole it. They stole the Gandhi surname to lure voters. This reflects their mindset to centralise everything in the hands of one family. this is not the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. This is the Ghamandia alliance meaning egoistic alliance. Every one of them wants to become a prime minister. They did not even think about whom they are opposing in states and whom they are supporting in Delhi. In West Bengal, they are fighting against TMc and CPM. No one can forget what did they to Adhir Ranjan Ji in 1991. In Kerala, their friends vandalised their offices. How will you hide your age-old sins from the people?
You are together because you are all in trouble. Even if little change occurs in situations, you all will draw swords against each other. This egoistic alliance is the representative of dynastic politics in the country which was opposed by all the makers of this country at the time of independence. Everyone criticised dynastic politics. Because it is the common man who suffers due to dynastic politics. But Congress always opposed this thought and embraced dynastic politics. We know that Congress loves dynastic politics. You need to be a darbari to get the benefits in the system.
Many great people like BR Ambedkar, and Babu Jagjeevan Ram suffered due to this Darbari culture. Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Chandrashekhar – there are so many names they destroyed in this Darbari politics. They did not put portraits of the great leaders in parliament due to this court politics. It was Atal Ji’s non-Congress and other non-dynastic governments in the 1990s decade that honoured them by putting up their portraits in the parliament. they don’t accept anyone out of their family as a prime minister.
But sometimes they speak the truth. As they said Hanuman did not burn Lanka but the ego of Ravan burn it. The people of India are the incarnation of Lord Ram. therefore you reduced from 400 to 40. The people of India elected the government of full majority twice. But you are not digesting that a son from a family of poor is sitting on this chair of responsibility. This will not let you sleep. And the people of the country will not let you sleep. There was a time when they used aeroplanes to cut their birthday cakes in, sent their clothes for dry cleaning. Today aeroplanes are used to send vaccines and a person using simple slippers is flying in aeroplanes. They used navy ships for family trips. Today those ships bring the Indians stranded in foreign countries back home. They are Namdars and we are Kamdars.
Yesterday, someone said about talking from the heart. The nation knows his brain for a long time. Yesterday, the nation saw his heart. They love Modi so much that they remember him 24 hours in a day. Even if I have water during my speech, they will say Modi Ko Pani Pila Diya. If I sweat while working hard for people, they become happy saying that Modi Ko Pasina Dila Diya. The one who is sinking has hope from even a small stick.
I can understand the problem of Congress. They launch a failed product for so many years. they fail in every launching attempt. As a result, they have started hating people like never before. They fail themselves and then they hate the people. however, they call themselves Mohabbat Ki Dukan. But people of the country say that this is a shop of lies and hate. This shop has sold emergencies, partitions, the massacre of Sikhs, lies told, history, and proofs of the bravery of Uri and the pride of the Indian army as well. You should be ashamed.
Most of us come from villages and small families. If a person from a village goes to a foreign, he keeps describing it for years. It is quite obvious for one such person. But those who never grew a sapling are bound to get confused during actual farm visits. Those who have not actually gone to the grounds no nothing. When they describe the hardships in India, they forget that their ancestors ruled India for 50 years. By describing those problems they are actually providing the report card of their past generations. Such is their shop of hatred.
They know that their new shop will be shut in a few days. I want to seriously tell the people of the country about the financial policies of this egoistic alliance. they want a weak nation and an incapable nation. We see the neighbouring countries following a policy just like that of Congress. I don’t expect them to become any better. People will teach them a lesson. The freebies promised during campaigns have turned into burdening taxes on the people. This egoistic alliance is a guarantee of bankruptcy of India, doomsday of the Indian economy, double-digit inflation, policy paralysis, instability, corruption, anarchy, appeasement, dynastic politics, heavy unemployment, terrorism, violence, and taking the country 200 years back. They cannot guarantee to make the country the third-largest economy in the world. I give this guarantee to make the country among the three largest economies in the world during my third tenure in the government.
Those who do not believe in democracy know how to talk but they do not have the courage to listen. They just abuse me and run away. Make a ruckus and run away. Tell lies and run away. If they had shown any agreement to the Manipur discussion appeal by the home minister, their demand would make any meaning. But they just wanted to stall the work. Yesterday, Amit Bhai talked in detail. But now this is a discussion on a no-confidence motion. Therefore, the treasury benches will cover all the topics. But you want only to politicise this issue.
Amit Shah has explained the Manipur issue on behalf of this house. He talked in detail to inform the whole nation in detail about this. It was a very honest attempt to address the issue. But you are just politicising the issue.
A decision came from the Manipur court. The situations arising in its favour and opposition led to violence in which many families were affected, and people lost their loved ones. Serious crimes against women were committed. the central and the state government is trying their best to bring them to strict punishment. I assure the nation that a dawn of peace will arise soon and Manipur will rise with confidence. I want to tell the daughters, mothers, and sisters of Manipur, this country and this house stands firm with you. We all will together solve this problem and establish peace there. I assure the people of the country that we will leave no stone unturned to put Manipur back on the development track.
The things said in this house about Bharat Mata have hurt every Indian citizen. Can’t they live without power? Why do they wish for the death of mother India? Sometimes they talk about the murder of democracy, and sometimes murder of the constitution. Their words reflect their actions and intents. Who are these people? The same ones who parted Mother India into three pieces. The same ones who cut two arms of the nation when they were supposed to cut its shackles. They are the same people who cut not only Mother India but also Vande Mataram’s song because of appeasement politics. they promote the ones who raise the slogans of Bharat Tere Tukde Honge, the ones who talk of cutting apart the Siligudi corridor to separate northeast from India.
Those who left the house should answer what is Kutch Tibbu? These DMK people write to me about Kutch Tibbu. It is an island near Tamil Nadu someone gave to someone else. Wasn’t it a part of Mother India? Who cut it away? Indira Gandhi. this has been the feeling of Congress for Mother India.
I say this with a great feeling of sorrow – there are three incidents I want to tell. On 5th March 1966, Congress attacked helpless citizens in Mizoram using Indian Air Force. Weren’t they Indian? Mizoram remembers those horrors even today on every 5th of March. Congress has kept this hidden from the people of the country. We know the attack on Akal Takht, but they developed this habit from Mizoram. And they are today preaching to us. they have killed the trust of the people of the northeast. Those wounds are still paining.
In 1962, a dreadful radio announcement was made which is still painful for the people of the northeast. In the difficult times of the Indo-China war, the only tall leader in the country at that time, Nehru Ji said ‘My heart goes out to the people of Assam’. People of Assam still remember that.
Those who call themselves a successor of Rammanohar Lohiya should remember that Lohiya ji had levelled serious accusations against Nehru ji for knowingly ignoring the northeast and keeping it undeveloped. He said that it is an act of grave carelessness to lock an area of 30000 square kilometres of land into cold storage and keep it undeveloped. Many ministers from our government visited that area more than 400 times. I went for more than 50 times. This is not a number. This is a Sadhana.
Congress cares a little if there is a political gain or electoral gain. those states in the northeast have one or two Lok Sabha seats. therefore Congress has had a step-motherly treatment towards the Northeast. This was their attitude. For the last nine years, we are working for Northeast because it is a part of our heart. Today they are presenting the Manipur issue as if this has emerged only in the last few days. The only creator of the problems in the Northeast is Congress and its politics. Not even the people of the northeast. Manipur is full of Indian culture and devotion. It is a land that gave countless sacrifices during the Azad hind Sena’s action. This part of our country was sieged by separatism during the Congress regime. there was a time when extremist organisations would rule the systems. They did not allow to put a photograph of MK Gandhi in public offices, hurled bombs at Azad Hind Sena’s memorial, schools were shut, books in a library were burnt, temples would be closed by 4 pm, army deployment was a must, ISCKON temple was attacked, officers like IAS and IPS would give their salary as extortion to these extremists – and all this was a norm during the Congress regime. The outrage of Congress is selective and politically motivated.
Our government in Manipur is trying hard to improve situations in Manipur for the last 6 years and we will continue to do that. Bandhs and blockades are a part of history already. Northeast India may seem a distant place today to many people here. But the way southeast Asia is changing and the world is changing, our northeast will become the centre of the world. We can see that happen in the near future. And we are prioritising the northeast development for the same reason. We put crores of rupees to develop infrastructure there. For the first time, Agartala is connected by train. Manipur has a goods train, Assam has Vande Bharat, waterways are functional, sports university and AIIMS are built there. People of the northeast are an important part of the government for the first time. Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas is thus an article of faith for us and not just a slogan.
I never thought that I would get a chance to sit and work here. But I assure the people of the country that every part of my body and every moment of my life is dedicated to the nation.
I praise the opposition for one thing. I had assigned them one task as the leader of the house. They listened to me and brought a no-confidence motion. But they were not prepared at all. No creativity, no innovation, no homework, no valid points, nothing. I give them another chance to bring a no-confidence motion in 2028 again. But I expect them to get prepared so that the people of the country consider them worthy to at least become an opposition party. But they just keep making a ruckus and stalling the house.
Being the top house, parliament is the pride of the nation and MPs should respect it. Parliament is not for touring once in a while. People have sent us here to work. To not work is to betray people. I trust the people of this country and the trust they have in their minds. They did not lose their trust in 1000 years of slavery. They work for the nation. We faced so many attacks during the slavery period. But the people of India did not let the flame of trust blow away. We are indebted by that. In the last nine years, our aspirations are reaching new heights. Every Indian is full of confidence. India does not bend, does not stop, and does not get pressurised. When the common man of the country believes in the country, quite naturally the world believes in the country. It is an opportunity to believe in your country. Keep quiet if you don’t understand it.
In 2047 when the country will celebrate its 100th year of independence, India will be a developed country. It will be because of the collective effort of the countrymen. History will see our Karmas as the foundation of this development.
I appeal to the fellows in the house, there were so many serious issues in the country even before Manipur and we have faced it together and come out of it successfully. Let us work all together towards a better tomorrow. I once again thank those who brought the no-confidence but I would say that this is a motion of betraying people’s feelings.