Congress bent on staying out of power for 100 years: PM Modi in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party stating that the party had not lost its arrogance even when it had been out of power for so long.

He also said that Congress seems to have decided to not come back to power for 100 years, and he too is prepared for it.

"If you had feet on the ground, then you would have seen it. But most of you are stuck in 2014. You are facing the result. You give a lot of advice but forget that you too have had the opportunity to sit here (on the treasury benches) for 50 years," Modi said and went on to list the states that have not voted for Congress for the last 25 years onwards.

People of Nagaland have not voted for Congress since 1998, that is 24 years. People of Odisha have not voted for Congress since 1995, that is 27 years; people of Goa has not voted for Congress since 1994, that is 28 years; Tripura since 1988, 34 years; Uttar Pradesh since 1985, 37 years; West Bengal since 1972, almost 50 years; Tamil Nadu last voted for Congress in 1962, almost 60 years before. "You take the credit for the formation for Telangana, but after that people there have not voted for you. Same in case of Jharkhand," he said.

"Question is not about the election result. But you don't seem to retrospect. Why is it that despite all the electoral losses, it seems you are not ready to give up your arrogance. Also, your ecosystem does not allow you to let it go," he said in a direct attack on Rahul Gandhi's criticism.

Then Modi recited a couplet in Urdu.

"Criticism is an ornament of live democracy, but blind opposition is disrespect to democracy," Modi said.

Criticizing Congress government in Maharashtra and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Modi said, in the last two years, we have been facing the largest threat to humanity by way of the pandemic and Congress crossed all limits during the pandemic time, he said, immediately prompting slogans from the opposition benches.

Amid the chaos in the house, Modi waited for a few seconds and again started. "Congress government in Maharashtra handed over free tickets to migrants to leave Mumbai. In Delhi, the government offered bus rides to people to leave Delhi and go back to their native places. As a result, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, all saw the spiraling of cases across these states. Even WHO had suggested to stay put wherever one was," he said.

Modi also said some people were waiting that coronavirus will damage his image, which was all out of opposition to Modi. "It seems you have decided not to come back to power for 100 years. But now that you have decided it, I too am prepared for it."