Keeping Congress in crosshairs, Modi holds out Modi 3.0 promise

The speech in Rajya Sabha, his last in Parliament before the Lok Sabha polls, was on the motion of thanks to the President’s address, but was made with the coming elections in mind.

“My belief is complete that this party (the Congress) is outdated in its thinking. So, they have outsourced their work. A party that was so big and ruled over the country has fallen so badly. We are not happy. We sympathise with them.”

“The Congress denied reservation to OBCs, did not give quotas to economically weaker sections, never gave Bharat Ratna to Babasaheb Ambedkar but only to their family. Those with no guarantee for neta (leader) and neeti (policy) are questioning Modi’s guarantee. Why did people get so angry with them? Not because we told people to. They reaped the fruits of their karma.”

Given that the Congress has made the demand for a caste census a prime poll plank, Modi attacked the party as historically “anti-Dalit, anti-Adivasi and anti-tribal”.

“Congress has been anti-Dalit and anti-Adivasi. Had Babasaheb not been there, I wonder whether SCs/STs would have got reservation. I have proof of their thought process,” he said, proceeding to attack Jawaharlal Nehru on reservation. “I recall the respected Nehruji quite a bit. Once Nehru wrote a letter to Chief Ministers. He had written that he did not like any reservation, particularly in jobs. He wrote that he was against any such step that promotes inefficiency and takes the country towards second-rate work. Nehruji used to say that if SCs, STs and OBCs got job quotas, the efficiency of government work would fall. Had recruitments been done since then, those people would have reached very senior levels.”

Framing the abrogation of Article 370 in social justice terms, Modi said it deprived SCs, STs and OBCs of their rights in Jammu and Kashmir.

“For seven decades, Congress deprived SCs, STs and OBCs of Jammu and Kashmir of their rights. After Article 370 was abrogated, SCs, STs and OBCs got their rights there. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Forest Rights Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act did not apply earlier. We have given those rights after abrogating Article 370,” he said.

Modi recalled the treatment meted out to Sitaram Kesari, former Congress president, by the party, and tacitly attacked Sam Pitroda too: “The EBC leader Sitaram Kesari was lifted and thrown on the road. One of their advisers is in America. He is close to the family. Recently, he tried his level best to deny Ambedkar’s role in the making of the Constitution.” The context: Pitroda had purportedly shared on X an article where the writer had claimed that Nehru had a greater role than Ambedkar in the making of the Constitution. He had deleted the post later, it was claimed.

Modi also attacked the Congress for fielding Yashwant Sinha against Droupadi Murmu during the Presidential election: “For the first time, we made an Adivasi woman the President. It was not your ideological opposition for us, as you (the Congress) made a person who went from our side your candidate. The opposition was to Adivasis.”

He underlined that his welfare schemes were for the benefit of Dalits, tribals and OBCs.

“Who are the labharthis (beneficiaries) of our welfare schemes? Who are the people who live in slums? Whatever we have done is for SCs, STs and OBCs. They have got pucca houses. They have benefited from the Swachh Bharat scheme. They are the ones who have got Ujjawala gas connection. Free ration, free treatment – they are the labharthis of all these,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of spreading a “fake narrative” against the facts, he said it was losing credibility while doing so.

He said he would not ask who gave birth to the Congress — referring to AO Hume — and stepped up his attack: “If you were not influenced by the British, why did you continue with the IPC and CrPC? Why did lal batti (red beacon) culture continue? There was a time when the Indian Budget used to be presented at 5 pm because it used to be morning in Britain. Why did Raj Path have to wait for Modi to become Kartavya Path? Why could you not even build a war memorial for jawans? Why did you look down upon Indian languages? Why did you not call India the mother of democracy?”

He accused the Congress of running down Indian traditions in its “colonial mindset”: “The Congress ran a narrative. The result: people following Indian traditions were looked down upon. If you abused your culture and traditions, it was said that you were progressive. To import from outside was a sign of status. What was made here was considered second grade. Even today, they hesitate to say ‘vocal for local’, made in India. The country has seen and understood it. You are paying a heavy price for it.”

Stating that the UPA could bring India only from the 12th largest to the 11th largest economy in its 10 years, Modi said his government had made India the fifth largest economy in one decade. He also quoted Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister saying “growth was down, inflation was high, that fiscal deficit was high, and the current account deficit was higher than expectation; that the country was angry with the misuse of public office and institutions; that GST should be introduced as there was corruption in tax collection; that there were leakages in ration provision, and that there were doubts in the manner in which government contracts were awarded”.

He also recalled that Rajiv Gandhi as PM had said that out of every rupee sent, just 15 paise reached the people.

Accusing the Congress of destroying BSNL, MTNL and HAL, he said PSUs were now in the pink of health.

He promised to take the work forward and place India on the path of becoming a developed nation in 2047 over the next five years.

“Our third term isn’t far. Some call it Modi 3.0. Modi 3.0 will try with all his strength to lay the foundations of Viksit Bharat. The number of doctors will go up; all poor people will get tap water and PM Awas; power bills will be made zero through solar panels for crores of people, and piped gas networks will be spread throughout the country. Startups will grow in Tier 2 and 3 cities. In five years, record patents will be filed – more than in the last 75 years.”

“I want that middle class youth get the best university in India and save lakhs of money spent abroad. In the next five years, Indian sport will make a mark in the world. India’s public transport will get transformed; people will get quick and comfortable transport. Bullet trains will also come. India will become self-reliant in every field. Made In India semiconductor will be there.”

“India will live in a golden age by 2047. The country will not hear those whose warranty is over but will believe in Modi’s guarantee,” he said.