Parliament: Congress has not changed its ego after decades of defeat, says Prime Minister Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Congress had lost multiple elections and was voted out by citizens, but that the party had still not changed its “ego”.

Modi made the statement while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha on Monday.

The prime minister said that the Congress had not won a full majority for more than two decades in states like Nagaland, Odisha and Tripura. In Goa, Modi said, the Congress won an absolute majority 28 years ago. Assembly elections will take place in Goa on February 14.

Modi claimed that the statements and actions of the Congress indicate that the party has resigned itself to being out of power for 100 years.

“We are firm believers in democracy,” Modi said. “And we also believe that criticism is an essential part of democracy. But blind opposition to everything is never the way forward.”

The prime minister also accused the Congress of instigating the migrant workers’ crisis during the 2020 lockdown and spreading Covid-19 across the country, NDTV reported. He blamed the Maharashtra and Delhi governments for “pushing labourers into difficulties”.

The prime minister alleged that the Congress gave tickets to labourers at the Mumbai railway station to “go and spread coronavirus”.

Modi claimed that the Delhi government had arranged buses for workers to go home, which led to Covid-19 being spread in Uttar Pradesh and other states.

Modi also said that the country “did not let anyone die of hungry”.

His statement came after the 2021 Global Hunger Index, published in October, ranked India 101 among 116 countries. India’s rank on the index fell from 94 the earlier year, bringing it behind its neighbours Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

On criticism over inflation, Modi said the Opposition should have raised the issue during their rule. “Our government tried to tackle inflation. During 2014-2020, the inflation rate was below 5%,” Modi said.

On February 1 when the Union Budget was announced, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Budget was a betrayal of India’s salaried and middle-class who were hoping for relief in view of pay cuts and inflation. Surjewala said the direct tax measures are a disappointment.

Modi also criticised the Congress for its remarks on the Make in India programme. Modi alleged that the Make India scheme was bothering Congress as it had “closed the doors for corruption”.