New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress in the Lok Sabha as he dubbed the 10 years of the Congress-led UPA rule prior to 2014 as a "lost decade" and termed the following decade during which BJP stormed to power as "India's decade."
"The decade before 2014 will always be remembered as 'The Lost Decade', but the decade of 2030 will be known as India's decade," the Prime Minister said replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.
He further alleged that in the last nine years, the Opposition has shunned constructive criticism and has resorted to compulsive criticism. He accused the Opposition of wasting their time trying to mislead the people with baseless allegations instead of ensuring that their criticism of the government remains constructive.
He further alleged that whenever the developments do not favour the Opposition parties, they resort to attacking democratic institutions such as the Election Commission and the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister also said that when economic progress is discussed the Opposition does not even spare the Reserve Bank of India. (RBI).
" You blame the EVM and the Election Commission when you lose in elections. When a verdict does not go in your favour, you criticise the Supreme Court. If corruption cases are being investigated you hurl abuses at the investigative agencies. If the Army performs an act of valour, you make allegations against the armed forces. When there is a discussion on economic progress, you criticise the RBI," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said, "in the past nine years, constructive criticism has been replaced with compulsive criticism." Accusing the Congress-led UPA government of being soft on terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that it was their fear of cracking down on terrorists which led to large-scale bloodshed during the 2008 terror attacks.
" No one can forget the 2008 terror attacks. Their lack of courage in take action against terrorism resulted in a bloodbath and the loss of innocent lives of citizens. This is synonymous with the misrule of the UPA," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also presented a long list of development works across different sectors undertaken by the BJP-led NA government since 2014. Modi said that people trust him not because of newspaper headlines and TV visuals but because of his dedication to the service of the masses for years.
Also Read:Top Quotes of PM Modi's Lok Sabha speech: 2004-2014 a 'lost decade', PM Modi attacks Congress in Lok Sabha
"It is this trust by the people which acts as a shield for me," said Modi adding that it cannot be penetrated by the baseless criticism and abuse of his detractors. The Prime Minister said that when the world was facing instability during the Covid-19 pandemic and conflicts, it looked at India with hope.
" But those who are utterly frustrated deny India's growth story. They fail to see the achievements and success of 140 crore Indians," said Modi, firing another salvo at the Opposition. Modi also said that people were well aware that he would be by their side during the crisis adding " How will people agree with your abuses and allegations."
"People trust in Modi not due to newspaper headlines or TV visuals but due to my years of dedication in the service of the people," he added. Even as the Prime Minister avoided any reference to the Adani-Hindenburg row in his speech, the Opposition MPs resorted to an " Adani, Adani" chant to counter the "Modi, Modi" chant by the treasury benches.
As for the President's address, Modi said " "When President's Address was going on, some people avoided it. A tall leader even insulted the President. They displayed hatred against ST. When such things were said on TV, the sense of hatred deep within came out. An attempt was made to save oneself after writing a letter later."
