‘Era of solutions, not obstruction’: Modi hails EU FTA, urges industries to aim high

New Delhi: Insisting that it is not the time to "sit and lament" about "obstructions" but to take "courageous, solution-oriented decisions", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India has become a "ray of hope" and "centre of attraction" for the world, as he referred to the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union.

He said 2026 has begun on a "positive note" with the FTA with EU reflecting "how bright the coming directions are and how promising the future of India's youth is", as he asked Indian industrialists and manufacturers not to be complacent by thinking merely thinking that a big market has opened and goods can now be sent cheaply.

Addressing the media at the beginning of the Budget session of Parliament, Modi said India was moving rapidly on the Reform Express and that his critics too acknowledge the government's focus on last-mile delivery and this tradition will continue with the next generation reforms.

Attacking Modi, Congress Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said, “he will not sit in Parliament and respond to the concerns of Opposition leaders, and will instead make election rally speeches in both Houses. Before the beginning of each session he will give his usual hypocrisy-laden ‘desh ke naam sandesh’ with Parliament as his backdrop. Today’s performance is part of this series.”

Emphasising that it is natural for the attention to be focused on the budget, Modi said the country is "now moving out of long-term pending problems and stepping firmly onto the path of long-term solutions" and when long-term solutions are in place, predictability emerges, which creates trust across the world. 

“In every decision we take, national progress is our objective, but all our decisions are human-centric. Our role and our schemes are human-centric. We will compete with technology, adopt technology, and accept its potential, but at the same time, we will not allow the human-centric system to be diminished in any way. Understanding the importance of sensitivities, we will move forward with a harmonious integration of technology and humanity," he said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to table her ninth consecutive budget on Sunday and that she is the only woman finance minister in the country to achieve such a significant feat, he said, adding this is a "very glorious chapter" of Indian democracy.

"At a time when the country is moving forward, this is not an era of obstruction; it is an era of solutions. Today, the priority is not disruption, but resolution. Today is not a time to sit and lament through obstruction; it is a period that demands courageous, solution-oriented decisions," he said, urging MPs to come forward, accelerate this phase of essential solutions for the nation, empower decisions, and move successfully ahead in last-mile delivery.

On the FTA with the EU, he said, "This is free trade for an ambitious India, free trade for aspirational youth, and free trade for a self-reliant India. I am fully confident that, especially India’s manufacturers, will use this opportunity to enhance their capabilities."

"I would say to all producers: when such a “mother of all deals,” as it is called, has been concluded between India and the European Union, our industrialists and manufacturers should not remain complacent merely thinking that a big market has opened and goods can now be sent cheaply. This is an opportunity, and the foremost mantra of seizing this opportunity is to focus on quality. Now that the market has opened, we must enter it with the very best quality,” he said.