'Gale padna' or 'gale lagna': PM Modi takes jibe at Rahul Gandhi for his hug

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday highlighted his government’s achievement during his brief speech on the last day of the Budget session, the last parliamentary session before the Lok Sabha polls. Modi said it’s the 16th Lok Sabha that has passed stringent laws against corruption and black money.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday highlighted his government’s achievement during his brief speech on the last day of the Budget session, the last parliamentary session before the Lok Sabha polls. Modi said it’s the 16th Lok Sabha that has passed stringent laws against corruption and black money. “Several sessions in this Lok Sabha had good productivity. This is a very good sign. This Lok Sabha has passed 203 bills out of 219 introduced, including one on curbing black money. It is this Lok Sabha that passed the GST. The GST process revealed the spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship," the prime minister said. He said the world is discussing global warming and India made an effort in the form of the International Solar Alliance to mitigate this menace. "India's self-confidence is at an all time high. I consider this to be a very positive sign because such confidence gives an impetus to development," Modi said. Modi thanked the members of parliament for their services and took swipes at the opposition and Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his speeches in the parliament. Taking a jibe at Gandhi's hug and wink during the monsoon session of the parliament, Modi said he came to know for the first time the difference between ‘gale lagna’ and 'gale padna’. "It was a new thing I witnessed as a first time member of Parliament." In July last year, Gandhi took everyone in the Lok Sabha by surprise when he went and hugged Modi after tearing into the BJP-led government during the no confidence motion. The Prime Minister, a little taken aback at first, later called Gandhi back and shook hands with him with a pat on his back. Modi also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi's 'earthquake' remark that was made in 2016. "We had heard that an earthquake will occur but five years have passed by and nothing has happened." In December 2016, Gandhi had promised an “earthquake” against Modi if he was allowed to speak in the Parliament. The Prime Minister praised Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's leadership and said eight of 17 sessions of this Lok Sabha had over 100 per cent productivity. The overall productivity was recorded at over 85 per cent. He said India suffered globally for long due to fractured mandates. But now it is taken seriously in the global arena because of the majority government, he said. Referring to the achievements of his government, he said, India has become the 6th largest economy and is fast moving towards being a USD 5 trillion economy.