New Delhi, Feb 5 (.) With the Rajya Sabha passing the Motion of Thanks after a marathon nearly 2-hour-long reply by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both the Houses of the Parliament passed the Motion of Thanks discussions on Thursday. While the Lok Sabha passed the Motion without the PM’s reply, the Rajya Sabha reply by PM Modi gained importance.
As expected, the Rajya Sabha also witnessed strong opposition protest and sloganeering as the Prime Minister started his reply resulting a total din in the house. After the Opposition members boycotted the PM’s speech after registering their protest, the Prime Minister took his allottted time and extended time to both enumerate his government’s achievements and also lashing out at the opposition for their poor track-record in governance and, as he alleged, entirely destructive attitude to the growth and development of the country.
Leading with India’s economic trajectory and global standing, the Prime Minister said the country was moving ahead with “high growth and low inflation,” a combination that reflected the inherent strength of the economy. “India was once described as part of the ‘fragile five’. Today, it is moving rapidly towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy,” Modi said.
PM Modi framed his speech around what he described as a post-Covid “new world order”, arguing that global power equations were shifting in India’s favour. “The world is moving towards a new world order, and that order is inclined towards India,” he said, pointing to countries seeking trade agreements with New Delhi.
Highlighting India’s expanding trade footprint, the Prime Minister said the country was signing “future-ready” trade deals, including what he called the “mother of all deals” with the 27-nation European Union.
“Never before did 27 countries came together to strike a trade deal with India in one go. The Opposition will have to answer one day why no country came forward for such agreements in the past,” he said.
According to Modi, these agreements had opened global markets for Indian youth. “The world market is now open for our young talent. There is a growing demand for caregivers and skilled professionals from India,” he said, adding that India’s MSME network and manufacturing ecosystem were gaining global trust.
The Prime Minister also underlined India’s diplomatic positioning, saying the country had emerged as a strong voice of the Global South. “Today, when the world talks of the Global South, India speaks for it on global platforms,” he said.
He noted that while many developed nations were ageing, India was becoming younger and at a crucial stage of its development. “The second quarter of the 21st century will be decisive for India. We cannot stop or turn back. We have to move forward towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat,” Modi said.
Defending his government’s economic record, Modi said the banking sector, once “sick” under Congress rule, had been revived through structural reforms. “During the Congress regime, there was a mountain of NPAs. Today, we have finished the NPA problem. Banks are making profits now,” he said, noting that non-performing assets had been reduced to their lowest levels.
He cited bank mergers, PSU reforms and record profits at entities such as HAL, SBI and LIC as evidence that public sector units had been strengthened, not weakened. “PSUs were once built to fail. Reforms have saved them and given speed to Make in India,” he said.
On welfare, Modi highlighted the Mudra Yojana, under which loans worth Rs 30 lakh crore had been given without collateral, with women being the main beneficiaries. He also pointed to PM-Kisan, saying Rs 4 lakh crore had been directly transferred to small farmers who were “ignored for decades” by previous governments.
A significant portion of the Prime Minister’s speech was devoted to attacking previous governments. He accused Congress-led administrations of vote-bank politics and a lack of long-term vision. “If you listen to the speeches of Congress Prime Ministers from the Red Fort, you will see they lacked an outlook for the nation,” Modi said.
“Congress, TMC and Left parties were in power for years, but they only filled their own coffers and did not work for the welfare and development of the people,” he added. As states like West Bengal, Assam going into elections, the PM also packed his speech with events in some of these states.
Taking aim at the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee without naming her directly, Modi alleged that infiltrators were being protected in the state. “Infiltrators are snatching away the rights of India’s youth, taking away jobs and lands of tribals,” he said, claiming the Opposition parties were even approaching courts to back illegal intruders from Bangladesh.
PM Modi also alleged that the Opposition parties have become so impatient that they, while claiming themselves to be ‘mohabbat ki dukan,’ (store of love), raised highly deplorable slogans like ‘Modi teri kabr khudegi’ (Modi, your grave will be dug) against him. “From which part of the constitution have they learnt to speak about digging a grave of a citizen of this nation,” the prime minster asked.
PM Modi condemned the political animosity that led to the alleged sidelining of Rajya Sabha MP C Sadanandan Master, calling it a brutal act of “chopping both legs.” Modi also accused the Congress party of harbouring deep-seated hatred towards the Sikh community, responding to Rahul Gandhi’s controversial remark about Sikh MP Ravneet Bittu.
Highlighting the government’s respect for cultural icons, Modi criticised Congress for insulting the Assamese people when it opposed awarding Bharat Ratna to legendary singer Bhupen Hazarika. He described the disruptions in the Lok Sabha as “very painful,” lamenting that debate on the President’s address could not take place—a “big insult” to India’s highest constitutional office.
The Prime Minister asserted that Congress not only insulted the poor and tribal communities but also disrespected the President of India. He contrasted his government’s approach with the Congress legacy, accusing Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and their party of viewing citizens as problems to benefit their own families rather than the nation.
Modi mocked Congress for being stuck in imagining projects without implementation, emphasising India’s current trajectory on the “Reform Express” towards becoming a developed nation.
In the absence of the Opposition members, the Rajya Sabha passed the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address with voice vote, ending a few days of political bickerings started with the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to raise the issue of national security citing an unpublished book by former Army Chief, MM Naravane. . SKA PKJ MBJ KK
