‘Ghotalebaaz logon ke ghotale’: PM Modi lambasts Opposition in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Tuesday that his government had brought in an ‘era of transformation’ over the past decade as he took several jibes at the Opposition during a nearly 135-minute speech in Parliament. The senior BJP leader lashed out at the ‘parasitic’ Congress and claimed that the INDIA ally had fed off its partners’ votes to boost its tally during the recent polls.

“The country was in depths of despair in 2014, people elected us and an era of transformation began. People gave us mandate for stability and continuity. NDA scored unprecedented success in 4 state polls as well. India saw appeasement politics for long…Hum tushtikaran nahi santushtikaran ke vichaar ko lekar chalein hai. Justice for all, appeasement to none,” Modi asserted.

He claimed that India had sunk into a ‘pit of despair’ as people faced scam after scam in the years preceding BJP rule. He added that the ordinary people had lost hope amid widespread nepotism — making the “rounds of MPs’ offices just to get a gas connection” or paying thousands in bribes to buy a house.

“Roz naye ghotale hote the. Ghotalebazo ke ghotale, isi ka ye kaalkhand tha (Every day, new scams were taking place. It was an era of scams by scamsters). This world of scams had plunged us into a pit of despair. For some time, it used to come out from the mouth of a common man that ‘nothing can happen to this country’. These words of frustration of Indians had become a kind of identity. For some time, when we used to open the newspaper every day, we used to read only news of scams…” Modi jibed.

The PM said that public sentiment had changed drastically over the past decade with the same critics now insisting that “everything is possible” in India. 

“We instilled this confidence. Now, India can do anything. The results of swift decision-making after 2014 are that today Indian banks are among the most profitable in the world. Before 2014, terrorists could attack whenever they wanted, and the government would remain silent. Today, post-2014, India enters their homes and strikes. We conduct surgical strikes, and airstrikes, and demonstrate the capability to teach a lesson to the masterminds of terrorism. For its security, India can do anything today,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)