Modi reaches out to opposition, asks colleagues not to talk loosely about rape

In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address he said India must reach new heights

The social and economic development of the minorities does not amount to minority appeasement and will be an element in restoring India to its place in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.

In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, his first speech in the Lok Sabha, Modi made a strongly nationalistic pitch and said all Indians must be imbued with the compulsive need to resurrect India’s glory.

Likening the nation to parts of a human body, he said if one organ is weak or unhealthy it could make the whole body ill.

Addressing the representatives of the states in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said henceforth his government will take states as equal partners in the national paradigm of development.  

He criticised events in Pune (where a Muslim boy was bludgeoned to dealth allegedly by members of a pro-Hindu organisation); Badaun (where two young Dalit girls were raped and killed); and the sudden release of dam waters in Himachal pradesh where the current led to several students being drowned.

He also decried the loose comments made by leaders – mostly from his own party – about rape. “Do we necessarily have to speak? Can’t we just stay quiet occasionally,” he asked.

He conceded that while there may have been rivalry during the election, that was not what he or his party intended as the model for engagement with the Opposition.

“I hope that I will have the blessings of those more experienced  than me in running this country. We will always be humble.” He said looking at the Treasury Benches.

Modi made it clear that the poor would continue to be his government’s target group. He re-testified to his government’s intention to ensure broadband connectivity of all villages in India, with a house, water and electricity round the clock by 2022.

He asked for realtime agricultural and other data, sought more research in agriculture including increasing the protein content of pulses, offered organic agriculture – as practised by Sikkim -as the way of the future and said his government would be ready to learn from anyone who had new ideas to offer to India.

He suggested trifurcation of the Food Corporation of India and asked for transformation of the Indian village. He also said education and skilling were the only way to end poverty and ignorance.

Modi avoided all contentious issues: he said nothing on subsidy, one Article 370, or on the model civil code. He said his government may have the numbers: but it would work on the principle of consensus.

“I am ready to adopt any idea from anywhere, if it is a good idea” he said. Barring a jibe at the Congress – “if you knew things were wrong, why didn’t you do anything about it” – he was restrained in criticising the previous regime.

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Addressing the Council of States ie Rajya Sabha, Modi stressed the need for strengthening the “federal structure” of the country. “Only when we strengthen the states, will we be able to strengthen the country.”

Elaborating on his theme of “co-operative federalism” Modi said, as a former chief minister he understands how “victimized” states had been feeling when interacting with the Centre.

He therefore stressed on developing “Team India” a team comprising of the PM and not just his cabinet but all state chief ministers as well, to harness the power of the states.

In the Motion of Thanks to the President’s speech in the upper house, Modi proposed steps to make the North East part of the country integrate with the mainstream. If students from 30,000 colleges in the country were to visit the NE states, it would not just boost the tourism of the region but foster unity, he said elaborating on his idea of “Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat.”     

Rejecting the general notion of “Gujarat model” being a uniform template Modi said it was an attempt at adapting the unique best model practises of every state.

Modi proposed developing a unique development platform for “coastal states”, another for Himalayan states so that local issues can be thrashed out at the state level. Referring to the ideas proposed by the government in the President’s speech Modi said, “Our coastal area can be a channel for global trade.”

That apart, Modi said that ‘agro-climate zone’, should be developed where each state is mapped according to agriculture zones for different crops.

“Issue centric focused activity must be the way forward, not a Centralised focus”, reiterated Modi.

To dispel the notion of “criminal MPs” Modi suggested that in consultation with the Supreme Court, cases against MPs can be decided within one year through early hearing in courts.

“Bad governance is worse than diabetes,” said Modi stressing on the need for states to be policy driven to minimize corruption. Also harnessing the benefits of technology, Modi said it can be roped in to play an important role in eradicating corruption and bringing in transparency.

Repeating his message of “taking the Opposition along” in both houses, Modi said, “There should be no politics over incidents like rape, Maoism and terrorism, we should sit and find solutions collectively.”