The world seeing 'Bharat rate of growth', says PM Narendra Modi

On a day marked by frequent use of words such as “handcuffing” and “shackling” in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed the earlier Congress governments for “shackling” India’s economy with their “licence permit raj”.

  The PM said economists coined the phrase “Hindu rate of growth” to describe the country’s economic progress during the tenure of the Congress governments, which became a mark of humiliation for an entire community because of the financial mismanagement perpetrated by “one family”. Modi said the world was now witness to the “Bharat rate of growth”, with India emerging as the fastest-growing major economy. Economist Raj Krishna coined the term “Hindu rate of growth” in 1978 to describe India’s sub-4 per cent growth from 1950s onwards.

 

  In his reply in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, the PM said his government is committed to strengthening the middle class and neo-middle class, and with that intent the Budget has reduced the income tax to “zero” on income up to Rs 12 lakh. The Union Budget 2025-26, presented on February 1, announced easing of tax slabs and raising the tax-free income threshold under Section 87A of the Income Tax Act from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 12 lakh. 

Modi criticised the Congress government’s excesses during the Emergency, and said it had “handcuffed” and “chained” leaders, such as George Fernandes and others, including Members of Parliament then. During the course of the day, Opposition MPs protested the handcuffing and shackling of 104 Indians deported from the US, who landed in Amritsar on Wednesday.

  The PM said the Congress nursed “hatred and anger” towards B R Ambedkar, and added that this was reflected in not giving due recognition like the ‘Bharat Ratna’ to the architect of India's Constitution. He said the Congress is now forced to say “Jai Bhim”, and also get choked while speaking so. Modi said Ambedkar had correctly diagnosed that Dalits do not own land, and were unlikely to do so even if they had money, and only industrialisation could help them. However, the policies of the Congress governments meant that the manufacturing sector suffered.

  Modi said those opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) should study the Constitution. “Some may wonder what this UCC is all about. But, after reading the debates of the Constituent Assembly, one would realise that it is in that same spirit,” he said. 

 

"I say it with a lot of pride... For five-to-six decades, there was no alternative model for the people. After a long time, after 2014, the country got to witness a new model, which is not based on appeasement (tushtikaran) but on 'santushtikaran' (satisfaction of all)," he said. The PM criticised the attempts being made “to spread the poison of casteism”.

 

In his speech, he also mentioned poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni being arrested under Congress regimes for participating in protests, and said veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar's brother was banned from All India Radio as he wanted to sing a song dedicated to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.