Opposition adopted INDIA as UPA name is associated with scams, says Shah

“When a company goes bankrupt, it changes its name. There were scams like Bofors, 2G, Coal, Commonwealth, IPL, Madhu Koda, Harshad Mehta etc,” Shah said. “We have not done anything to bow our heads. We will go to the battlefield without fear.”

During his more than two-hour intervention, Shah along with other NDA MPs also raised slogans of “Quit India” in an apparent reference to the new name of the Opposition combine. “Today people are saying corruption Quit India, dynasty Quit India, appeasement Quit India. Now PM Modi practices the politics of performance,” he said.

Shah questioned the Opposition motive behind the no-confidence motion. “The government of Narasimha Rao won the no-confidence motion, but later, many members of that government were sentenced to jail because it was discovered that they had bribed leaders of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha to secure their votes in favour. Today both the Congress and JMM are sitting together,” he said.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi or earlier the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could have won no-confidence motions applying the same tactics. But they decided to stand by their principles.

“On one hand there are individuals who spend crores of rupees to obtain a majority of power, on the other, there are people who prioritize principles over power,” he said. “After Independence if any Prime Minister has won the trust of the entire India then he is Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Targeting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Shah said: “In this House, there is a leader who has been launched in politics 13 times till now, and he has failed all 13 times. His launching was also done in this House.”

On Kashmir, Shah said that after 33 years, cinemas have reopened in Kashmir, with even night shows, and 1.80 crore tourists flocked to the Valley last year due to a series of reforms adopted by the Modi government.

“We won’t engage in discussions with the Hurriyat, nor with the Jamaat, and neither with Pakistan. If we engage in discussions, it will only be with the youth of the Valley,” he said.

Earlier, taking part in the debate, MoS for Commerce Anupriya Patel said, “Everyone knows how inconsequential this no-confidence motion is. Today India has become an example for the world. Today 14 nations have awarded the PM of India with their highest honour. Crores of Indians believe in the government… But the Opposition has no confidence. It is because you have no trust in democracy itself.”