From attacking MMS to promoting digital India: Highlights of PM Modi's speech in Rajya Sabha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
targeted his predecessor Manmohan Singh for describing demonetization as
"loot" and "plunder" even as he asserted in the Rajya Sabha
that the fight against black money is not a political one or against any party.
He tore into Congress and took on
Singh who had described demonetization as "organised loot" and
"legalised plunder", saying "the art of bathing in a bathroom
with a raincoat on" is known only to the former Prime Minister as there is
"no blot on him" despite "all the scams". This provoked an
angry reaction from Congress members who staged a walkout in the midst of the
reply by the Prime Minister to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's
Address which was later adopted by the House after negation of all the 651 amendments.
Members of Left, Trinamool
Congress and JD(U) also staged a walkout after the reply, complaining that they
were unhappy with Modi's statement and wanted to ask questions which was
disallowed. Modi, in his over one-hour speech, focussed his attack on Congress
and other opposition parties for criticising the demonetization decision and
his push for cash-less economy.
He also slammed the Congress for
finding faults with lack of proper infrastructure in the country, saying by
doing so, they were only presenting their "report card" of 70-year
rule. Targeting Singh, he said, "in this country, perhaps there will be
hardly anyone from the economic field who has had dominance on the country's
financial affairs for half of the country's 70 years of independence. Out of 70
years, for 30-35 years, he has been directly associated with financial
decisions.
"So many scams occurred...
We politicians have a lot to learn from Dr Sahab. So much happened, there is
not a single blot on him. Dr Sahab is the only person who knows the art of
bathing in a bathroom with a raincoat on." As Congress members created
uproar and staged a walkout, an angry Modi said, "if you cross the limits
of decorum, then you should have courage to listen to the response. We have the
capacity to pay in the same coin. We do so within the limits of decorum and
boundaries of the Constitution. They (Congress) don't want to accept the defeat
in any form. How long will it continue??
He went on to add, "the
person who held such a high post, used the words 'loot' and 'plunder' in the
House. Then they (Congress) also should have thought 50 times (before using
those words)."
Singh, while speaking in the
Rajya Sabha during the last
Winter Session, had castigated
the Prime Minister over demonetization, saying its implementation was a
"monumental management failure" and a case of "organised loot
and legalised plunder."
Responding to those comments
today, Modi also took a swipe at Singh using the pretext of a book.
"Manmohan Singh ji had
delivered a speech here... Recently a book was released in which Manmohan Singh
ji had written the Foreword. Initially, I thought he is a renowned economist
and it (the book) will have his contribution. But then I realised that the book
was written by somebody else and he had only written the Foreword. In his
speech also, I felt the same," the Prime Minister said.
This triggered an uproar from the
Congress members.
To this, Modi took a dig, saying,
"the word I did not even utter, that too they (Congress members) have
understood." As Congress members shouted slogans, Information and
Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu took strong objection, questioning why
the opposition members were so agitated when terms like "Hitler" were
used against Modi in the same House.
"I request you to go through
the records. Prime Minister was called Hitler. Prime Minister was called
Mussolini," Naidu said.
The Prime Minister, whose speech
was interrupted a number of times due to opposition uproar, also took on the
Congress for quoting economists to denounce demonetization. "You are quoting economists. If you
quote 10, I can quote 20. Economists have never seen such a step anywhere in
the world as this has happened for the first time... In fact, this can become a
case study for them," he said.
Taking on Congress at another
point, Modi quoted a book authored by former Home Secretary Madhav Godbole,
which he said, contained criticism of Indira Gandhi for not undertaking
demonetization in 1971 when there was an opportunity. This evoked an uproar
from Congress benches.
At this, Modi took a dig at them,
saying, "you should have shown behaviour when the book was published. What
were you doing when it was published? Were you sleeping all this while? When
such allegations were levelled, why were you silent? Had I been in your place I
would have filed a case against Godbole." The Prime Minister said while
125 crore countrymen are making efforts to come out of "inner
malaise" of black money and corruption, Congress and other opposition
parties are standing against it.
Defending his demonetization
decision announced on November 8 last year, he said, "to fight against
black money and corruption is not a political fight. It is not to harass any
political. It is the responsibility of everyone to fight against it... We did
what our wisdom suggested." He said the maximum impact of black money is
on the poor who have been exploited.
"There is need for more
efforts (to fight black money). How long will we keep it brushing under the
carpet? Even if this attempt is to be taken forward, it will be taken," he
said. "We need to fight as one. Honest person will not get strengthened,
till the dishonest are not dealt with strongly.... The ultimate benefit of
these steps is going to be to the poor," he said.
Modi said he did not mean to say
that attempts would not have been made earlier.
On contention by opposition
members that people were facing hardships because of demonetization, the Prime
Minister said there will be "problems while finding a way out of
vices". "There is a horizontal divide in the country...The public
sentiment is on one side, while the sentiments of leaders is on the other side.
They are cut-off from the public sentiment," he said, attacking the
opposition.
"Usually government and
public are face-to-face on issues but this is such a decision where government
and people are together. Some people are on the other side...You may have faced
problems," Modi said.
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