PM Modi tears into Congress in Lok Sabha, calls party leader of 'tukde tukde' gang
Reviving the "tukde tukde gang" jibe against the Congress and reading from the 'Puranas' to justify his governance model, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a blistering attack on the Congress in Lok Sabha saying the Opposition party has "made up its mind not to come to power for 100 years" but "does not desist from sowing seeds of division".
Ridiculing the Congress leaders for giving 'long sermons (updesh)', Modi reminded them when their party was last in power.
"People of Nagaland voted for Congress for the last time in 1998. Nearly 24 years have passed since then. Odisha had voted for it in 1995. Twenty-seven years have passed since then but you did not get a re-entry there. In Goa, you had a clear majority in 1994. Twenty-eight years have passed since then but Goa has not accepted you. In Tripura people had voted for you in 1988. That was 34 years ago. The Congress' plight in UP, Bihar and Gujarat is that it was voted to power there 37 years back in 1985. In West Bengal, people had liked you last in 1972, almost 50 years ago. Congress was given an opportunity in Tamil Nadu in 1962 and they did not get entry since then," Modi said amid cheers from the treasury benches and noisy protests from Opposition members, particularly those from the Congress.
He was replying during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Lower House.
The Prime Minister went to the extent of saying that sometimes it occurs to him through their speeches, their programmes and actions, the way they talk, the kind of issues they associate with it that they "have made up your mind not to come to power for the next 100 years".
Congress communication chief Randeep Surjewala hit back, reviving the "Raja of 21st century" jibe of Rahul Gandhi to target Modi and said, "The arrogance is awaiting defeat in elections," and rejected his claims on development during his regime as "propaganda".
"There is a clear message from Parliament today. Even if we lose one election, the entire echo system works. The meaning is clear. If you want freedom from price rise, unemployment, depleting income and massive poverty, the BJP has to be defeated in the elections," Surjewala said.
Modi said that while the Congress no longer has the will to come to power, it is now trying to "ruin something at least" when it is not getting anything as "politics of divide and rule has got embedded in the DNA of Congress" like the Britishers. "Congress has become the leader of the "tukde tukde gang," he said.
While BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra voiced glee, saying Modi is "showing a real picture to Congress", the Congress latched on to his "Andolanjeevi' (those living off agitations) saying he was insulting agitating farmers.
The Prime Minister also played to the hilt his government's small farmers versus big farmers pitch.
Without directly referring to this, the Prime Minister repeatedly accused the Opposition, particularly Rahul Gandhi, who had backed the farmer agitation of "hating small farmers".
In a no holds-barred attack, the Prime Minister mocked late Indira Gandhi's 'Garibi Hatao' slogan. Modi said the Congress could not remove poverty in 40 years but the poor removed the Congress. He also said that earlier, some Congress leaders themselves used to call the governments of Nehru and India Gandhi, the governments of Tata and Birla.
"Your punching bag has changed but the habit has not changed. Opposition can't live for a moment without uttering Modi. Modi is your life energy," Modi said. Congress, however, said the Prime Minister, did not reply to the issues raised with regard to people.
"Those making fun of 'Make in India' have become a joke themselves. If we are talking about being 'vocal for local', are we not fulfilling the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi? Then, why was it being mocked at by the Opposition? We talked about yoga and Fit India but that was mocked by the Opposition too. During the first wave, when people were following lockdowns, guidelines were suggesting that people stay where they are, the Congress was standing at Mumbai station and scaring innocent people," Modi alleged.
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