PM deflects probe demand with self-praise, attack on Congress

Cops, paramilitary personnel stop Congress youth members from climbing the barricades during a protest, in Delhi. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a fresh broadside against the opposition on Thursday, saying their "keechad" (dirt) of allegations will only help the lotus bloom more. Thumping his chest, Modi declared that he lives for the country and wants to do something for the country, which he said has rattled the Opposition.

Modi gave a nearly 90-minute speech to parliament mainly listing the government's achievements and lashing the Congress party. However, the Opposition lawmakers, who are demanding an investigation into the Adani Group, interrupted him several times shouting slogans.

"Desh dekh raha hai, ek akela kitno ko bhari padh raha hai (the country is watching how one person has outweighed so many)," he said as the opposition members kept shouting "Modi-Adani, bhai-bhai".

With members of the treasury benches chanting "Modi-Modi", he pointed at the opposition MPs who had gathered in the Well of the House in a bid to shout him down and said, "Naare bolne ke liye bhi unko badal karna padhta hai (they have to take turns even to shout slogans)."

PM Modi addresses the Rajya Sabha, on Thursday. Pic/ANI

"Ek conviction ke karan chala hoon, desh ke liye jeeta hoon, desh ke liye kuch karne ke liye nikla hoon (I live for the country and have embarked with the conviction to serve the nation)," he said, adding his political opponents are playing games as they do not have the courage to take him on.

The Opposition, he said, is resorting to this to save themselves. He accused the Congress of trampling on the rights of states and regional parties by dismissing elected governments on 90 occasions by "misusing" Article 356 of the Constitution. "Who are the people?" he asked and responded that Indira Gandhi alone had used the article 50 times to dismiss governments.

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"This country is not anyone's fiefdom. Our policies reflect national and regional aspirations," he said. "But these people who are now sitting (with Congress), I want to expose them today." He then claimed that the Congress dismissed elected governments of the Left in Kerala, NT Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh, Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra and M G Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu. And, today, these parties are sitting along with the Congress, he said.

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Duration (in minutes) of PM Modi's speech in Rajya Sabha on Thursday

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