PM Modi's 'Remote Government' Jibe At Opposition In Rajya Sabha: WATCH

The Rajya Sabha is continuing the debate on July 3 on the motion of thanks on the last week's President’s Address to both Houses of Parliament

On Tuesday, PM Modi mounted a stinging counterattack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as he mocked him as 'balak buddhi'

PM Modi Rajya Sabha Speech: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a swipe at the Opposition and said those calling his third term as one-third government are correct, as the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has already completed a decade in power and will continue to rule for twenty more years.

Addressing Rajya Sabha a day after his two-hour-long address in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I would like to extend hearty gratitude to a few colleagues in Congress. Ever since the results came, I was taking note of a colleague - who was not supported by his party but he held his party's flag all alone. For what he said, unke muh mein ghee shakkar. Why am I saying this? He repeatedly said "1/3rd government". What can be a bigger truth than this? We have completed 10 years now and there is 20 more to go. So, we have completed 1/3rd, 2/3rd remains. So, 'unke muh mein ghee shakkar' for his prophecy."

Continueing his attack, he said, "I know that there are some learned people in this house who believe that India's economy is going to become the third largest on its own... They are people who are used to running the government on autopilot mode or remote control. they don't believe in working towards anything."

He said that the people of the country gave NDA the opportunity to form the government for the third time to realise the vision of 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', adding that citizens defeated the Opposition's agenda.

"If this election was to save the Constitution, then the people of the nation chose us for it...1977 election saved the Constitution...We feel proud of the wisdom and intelligence of the people of this country, in these elections. They defeated propaganda. They prioritised performance. They rejected the politics of deceit and put stamp of victory on the politics of trust," the Prime Minister said.

Presenting the roadmap for his third term, PM Modi said the next five years are to ensure saturation of basic facilities and for the fight against poverty.

"This country will emerge victorious against poverty in the next five years, and I am saying this based on the experience of the past 10 years. When India will become the third largest economy in the world, its impact will be on every sphere of life," he added.

During the PM's address, the Opposition MPs raised slogans of 'LoP ko bolne do', alleging Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to speak.

Prime Minister noted that in the last two and a half days, around 70 MPs participated in this discussion and expressed his gratitude to all of the parliamentarians for enriching the discussion on the President's Address. "The President's Address had inspiration and encouragement for the people of the country, and also awarded the path of the truth," Modi said.

Opposition Walks Out

Later, as the members of the Opposition walked out during his address, Modi said, “They are insulting the Upper House and its glorious traditions.”

"They (opposition) are not able to digest the mandate given by 140 crore countrymen. Yesterday, all their attempts failed, so today, they did not have the strength to fight that battle. This is why they have left the field and run away," he said further. 

Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar also criticised the Opposition parties for staging walkout during PM's reply on Motion of Thanks to President's Address. "They (opposition) have challenged the Indian Constitution. They have outraged spirit of Indian Constitution. They have disregarded the oath they have undertaken," Dhankhar said.

Earlier, the Prime Minister entered the Rajya Sabha amid chants of 'Modi, Modi'.

PM Modi's Address in Lok Sabha

While the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die after PM's speech on July 2, the Rajya Sabha is continuing the debate on July 3 on the motion of thanks on the last week's President’s Address to both Houses of Parliament.

On Tuesday, PM Modi mounted a stinging counterattack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as he mocked him as 'balak buddhi' (childish mind), accused him of linking Hindus with violence and making false claims in Lok Sabha, and sought stringent action against him to protect parliamentary democracy.

Replying to a nearly 18-hour-long discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Lower House, Modi said the Congress  and its ecosystem are working day and night to impress upon people that the BJP-led NDA has been defeated in the elections despite voters handing his government a historic third-term for stability and continuity.

"I will tell Congress leaders to not suppress people's mandate under the garb of fake victory celebrations, he said and added the opposition party was behaving as if it had won 99 out 100 seats and not out of 543, the actual strength of the House. The Congress turned into a parasitic party in these polls, feeding off its partners' votes to boost its tally, he said. Instead of conceding defeat, the Congress is behaving arrogantly," he said, adding its cheerful response to the mandate is like a parent encouraging a child who has fallen off a cycle.

In his nearly 135-minute speech, which saw continuous slogan-shouting on the Manipur issue and heckling by opposition members, Modi turned his usual combative self after initially listing various successes of his government since 2014 as he took on the Congress and Gandhi without naming him.