New Delhi: Time to shed ‘sickularism’ that banks on appeasement of minorities, especially Muslims. This is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his response in Rajya Sabha on the Debate on the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament.
He asserted that his Government had developed a new work culture wherein the benefits reached every section of society without discrimination. Terming this ‘new culture as true secularism’, Modi took potshots at the Congress, saying they only tried to create hurdles and delay projects.
“In Azadi ka Amrit Kaal, we have chosen ‘saturation’. We have focused on how every beneficiary (of social schemes) can receive 100 per cent benefit without disruption – this is true secularism. This is true social justice,” Modi said, adding that corruption creeps in when there is discrimination and favouritism.
The Prime Minister said his Government’s mantra of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas intends to ensure that the rights of the people should reach them without any hindrance. He lashed out at Congress, alleging that its regime wasted six decades of the country when even small countries touched the heights of success.
Amid Opposition members sloganeering against him while the speech was on, PM Modi said: “Desh dekh raha hai, ek akela kitno ko bhari padh raha hai (the country is watching how one person outweighs so many).”
Thumping his chest and pointing to the Opposition members, he said, “I live for the country and have set out with the conviction to serve the nation.”
“Naare bolne ke liye bhi unko badal karna padhta hai (even to raise slogans, they have to take turns)”.
He said it was Congress’ responsibility to resolve the people’s issues. However, the party was not serious in its approach, and its priorities differed. Referring to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks
that they have laid a strong foundation in 60 years, the Prime Minister alleged that Congress only dug holes.
He said the Congress government(s) arbitrarily misused Article 356 and dismissed State Governments 90 times. The Prime Minister alleged that the previous regimes’ economic and social policies and politics were based on vote bank politics. Turning towards Left parties, DMK and senior lawmaker Sharad Pawar, he reminded them all of them have suffered at the hands of Congress and its policy of dismissing opposition regimes.
“You all tried to bring down the Government of N T Rama Rao when he had gone abroad for treatment,” the Prime Minister said.
“Jitna keechad uchchaloge, kamal utna hee zyada khilega (the more dirt you fling, the more the lotus shall bloom),” he said and quoted from a poem “keechad unke paas tha, mere paas gulal. Jo jiske paas tha, usne diya uchchal (they flung the dirt they had, I threw the colours I had).”
“In last 3-4 years, around eleven crore houses have got tap water connections. For the empowerment of common people, we started the Jan Dhan account movement. In the last nine years, forty eight crore Jan
Dhan accounts were opened across the country,” he said.
On the attack by Congress President Kharge, PM Modi said, “Kharge Ji complains that I visit Kalaburagi. He should see the work done there. More than 1.70 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts have opened in Karnataka including over eight lakh accounts in Kalaburagi. So many people getting empowered, while someone’s account is getting closed, I can understand the pain.”
