'Tax bombs' during UPA govt to Rahul Gandhi's OBC remarks: PM Modi blasts Oppn in Lok Sabha | Top quotes

The prime minister attacked Arvind Kejriwal with his ‘Sheesh Mahal’ remark while also hitting back at Congress' Rahul Gandhi over his OBC remark in Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday replied to the Motion of Thanks to the address of President Droupadi Murmu in the Lok Sabha, touching upon several matters ranging from Delhi election, Arvind Kejriwal, to the Congress-led Opposition.

Speaking at the Lok Sabha, PM Modi took several jibes at the Opposition, including at the speech of Rahul Gandhi. (Sansad TV)

The prime minister hailed the works done by his BJP-led NDA government in the nation, saying that the administration believes in spending resources towards public welfare.

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PM Modi Lok Sabha Speech | Top Quotes

• 14th response to Motion of Thanks: PM Modi said that he was highly privileged to have the honour to get to express gratitude to President's address in the Parliament for the 14th time. "So, I respectfully express gratitude to the people," he said.
• Jacuzzi dig at Sheesh Mahal: PM Modi took a veiled dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and said that some people "focused on jacuzzi, stylish showers" while NDA focused on providing water to every home. He said that his government did not give any false slogans, rather it brought true development to people. He sharpened his attack and said that though government schemes saved a lot of money, "but we did not use it to build Sheesh Mahal".
• Photo sessions in poors' huts: In what was seemingly a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi said that those who have "photo sessions in the huts of the poor, for their own entertainment, will find the mention of the poor in the Parliament boring". He said that when people have high fever, they utter anything. Likewise, they also say anything when are they are highly dejected. "Those who were not born in India - 10 crore such frauds were reaping benefits of government funds through various schemes...We removed names of such 10 crore frauds and provided facilities to the real beneficiaries after looking for them," he added.
• We didn't build Sheesh Mahal: He said that before BJP government, headlines used to be related to corruption and scams and ten years since then, "crores of rupees have been saved and used for the public". PM Modi said, “We have taken several steps which have saved a lot of money, but we have not used that money to build a 'Sheeshmahal', instead we have used that money to build the nation.”
• Tax 'bombs' under UPA: PM Modi highlighted that the BJP-led NDA has bettered the savings of the middle class by reducing Income Tax. But before 2014 (during UPA), "such 'bombs' were hurled and 'bullets' were shot, that it affected the lives of people". Modi said that his government eventually healed those wounds and moved forward. "In 2013-2014 tax exemption was only on ₹2 Lakh income. Today there is an Income tax exemption on ₹12 lakh income...We healed wounds and today we have applied bandages too. If we add the ₹75,000 standard deduction, after 1st April, salaried class in the country will not have to pay any tax on income upto ₹12.75 Lakh," he noted.

'Aapda' on youth's future: PM Modi said that while his government his consistently working with the future of youth in mind, "few parties are deceiving the youth". He said that promises are made at the time of elections but are not fulfilled by them. "These parties are 'aapda' on the future of youth. In Haryana, the country has seen how we work. We promised jobs and as soon as the govt was formed, youth got jobs. As a result of what we do, we registered a grand victory in Haryana for the third time...In Maharashtra too, we had historic results and we did this with the blessings of people," the prime minister said in Lok Sabha.

People speaking language of urban Naxals: Hitting out at the Opposition leaders, the prime minister said that it was unfortunate that "some people are speaking the language of urban Naxals openly and challenging the Indian state". He said that those who speak this way neither understand the Constitution nor do the unity of the nation. "...We live by the spirit of the Constitution, and that is why we make strong decisions. Our Constitution does not give the right to discriminate," he added. Sharpening his seeming attack at Rahul Gandhi, the PM said that those who live with the Constitution in their pockets "do not know what kind of difficulties you forced Muslim women to live in".

Rahul Gandhi's OBC remarks: In what seemed like a response to Rahul Gandhi's remarks on OBC, SC/ST, PM Modi said that the NDA government's focus has always been on the marginalized and the last person in line, just "as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi". "Our Government has worked to create maximum opportunities for people from SC, ST and OBC Communities," he said in Lok Sabha. The PM remarked that speaking about caste is fashion for some people. "For the last 30 years, OBC MPs have been demanding that OBC Commission be granted Constitutional status. Those who see a benefit in casteism today did not think of the OBC community back then," he added. He said that there is a vast difference between the Opposition's words and actions.

No poisonous politics: Pressing on his government's works and slamming those of the previous regimes, the prime minister said that when power becomes service, nation-building happens. "When power becomes an inheritance, democracy ends...We follow the spirit of the Constitution, we do not indulge in poisonous politics," PM Modi added. He said that his administration gives utmost importance to the unity.

Better Healthcare today: PM Modi said that today, the Constitution ensures better healthcare for everyone. Citing that February 4 is 'Cancer Day', he said that a key discussion about health. While his government's constant attempt is that everyone gets a 100 per cent benefit from every scheme, some people "have made the model such that they give to only a few people torture others and do the politics of appeasement". Further, PM Modi said, "To make the country develop, we will have to get rid of appeasement. People of every society and every class should get their rights...Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, patients receive free treatment, but some political parties, due to their narrow mindset and outdated beliefs, have shut the doors of hospitals for the poor," he added.

Rahul Gandhi's foreign policy comment: Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi's speech raking up foreign policy in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi said, "A few people think that they don’t appear mature if they don’t speak on foreign policy. They think that they should definitely speak on foreign policy, even if it causes harm to the country." He suggested that if such people are really interested in foreign policy then they should read a book 'JFK's Forgotten Crisis'. He said that the book mentions the first PM who looked after foreign policy and details discussion between Pandit Nehru and then US president John F Kennedy. "When the country was facing several challenges, what was being done in the name of foreign policy at that time has been brought out through this book," he added.

Concluding his fierce Lok Sabha speech, the prime minister said that the nation and his government is moving forward with the dream of becoming a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, when India will celebrate 100 years of Independence.

"I say this with confidence, this is just our third term. In line with the needs of the country, to make it a modern and capable India and to realise the resolve for Viksit Bharat, we are going to be working for several years to come," PM Modi said.