New Delhi [India], February 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Congress in Rajya Sabha and cited a speech of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, stating that she and her father Jawaharlal Nehru had referred to citizens of the country as a "problem".
Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President's address, PM Modi also took veiled digs at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
He said there is a huge difference in the way the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance looks at a situation or the thinking towards the solution of a problem and how the Congress does.
"Whether is it BJP or NDA, our approach to looking at a situation and at looking for solutions to problems, there is a vast difference between us and the Congress. Our approach is that 140 crore citizens are so capable that they can tackle challenges. We have trust in the citizens and their capabilities. This is also the true strength of democracy. But Congress considers the citizens a problem," he said.
"I want to tell this with an example how they used to think about people of country. What was the thinking of Nehruji and Indiraji for the people of the country, I want to tell about this. Indiraji once went to Iran, she was giving a speech. In her speech, she mentioned her conversation with Nehruji. She said 'When someone asked my father (Nehru) how many problems he had, my father replied 35 crore'. At that time, our country's population was 35 crore. The citizens of the country were seen as a problem by Nehruji. Can there be a leader like this," PM Modi asked.
He said that Indira Gandhi gave this example and said in her speech that "today the country's population is 57 crore and the number of problems I have is of this magnitude".
"The father saw 35 crore citizens as a problem, she felt 57 crore to be a problem. Can someone be like this who considers their own citizens a problem? This is the difference in their thinking and our thinking, their approach and our approach," he said to thumping of desks from the members of the treasury benches.
According to the compilation of Indira Gandhi's speeches, she said nothing in India is simple or small and when asked how many problems he had, "my father once replied '350 million', which was our population at that time. Now the population is 570 million, so that is the dimension of my problems".
Slamming the Congress, PM Modi said a significant part of the government's energy is being spent on correcting the mistakes of the past.
"It takes great effort to erase the image that was created in the minds of the world during that period, they left things in such a damaged state. That is why we have placed strong emphasis on future-ready policies. Today, the country is being governed on the basis of policy and strategy. Global trust in India is growing. Guided by the mantra of 'reform, perform, transform,' we have moved forward, and the reality today is that the nation has boarded the Reform Express," he said.
PM Modi also referred to Rahul Gandhi's jibe at Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu.
"What happened yesterday - the 'Yuvraj' of Congress who has 'shaatir dimag', called an MP of this House 'traitor'. His arrogance is at its peak. He did not call anyone else who has left the Congress a traitor. But he called the MP a traitor, because he is a Sikh. This was an insult to the Sikhs, an insult to the Gurus," he said.
"This was an expression of the hatred for Sikhs that is filled in the Congress...He is a member of the family who sacrificed themselves for the country. Just because he changed his political ideology, he became a traitor? This is not a small word. How can the country tolerate a citizen being called a traitor?...This is highly unfortunate. Such people will sink Congress," he added.