Narendra Modi's all-out attack on Congress

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the British rule ended in India long back, but the Congress adopted their policy of "divide and rule" and has now become the leader of 'tukde tukde gang'.

While replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to President's address in the Lok Sabha, Modi blamed the Congress for instigating migrant labourers to travel during the lockdown.

Hurling back the words of Jawaharlal Nehru in answer to Rahul Gandhi's accusations of the government hurting federalism, the PM said it was the Congress who had the divisive mentality. "Angrez chale gaye (the Bristish have left) but divide and rule remained... That's why the Congress has become the leader of 'Tukde Tukde' gang," he said.

Quoting from Jawaharlal Nehru's book, the Discovery of India, he said, "Bengali, Marathi, Gujrati, Tamil, Andhra, Oriya, Assamese, Kannada, Malayali, Sindhi, Punjabi, Hindustani... for hundreds of years, have made their own identity."

Citing the cultural differences within various States, Rahul Gandhi had earlier said, "My great grandmother (former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) was shot 32 times. My father (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi) was blown into pieces. I know what it is. You are fiddling with something dangerous. If you don't stop, you'll create a problem".

"Rashtra is not an arrangement of rule or government - it is a live soul for us. For 1000 years, people have been connected to it," Modi said, quoting the ancient text of Vishnu Puran. The Prime Minister also accused the Opposition of being responsible for the countrywide spread of Covid and the migrant crisis in the initial days and alleging that this was "paap (sin)". The Opposition did not do anything positive, like asking the people to take Covid precautions, but their contribution to the pandemic was not insignificant, he said.

Pointing at the Opposition-ruled governments in Maharashtra and Delhi, he alleged, "You people pushed the labourers into difficulties".

"The Congress crossed the limit," he said. "During the first wave, when we had lockdown, when WHO was advising that 'stay wherever you are'... the Congress at the Mumbai railway station gave tickets to labours to go and spread coronavirus," he said.

"In Delhi, the government used mics on jeeps in slums to go home, arranged buses," the Prime Minister said, adding that in Uttar Pradesh and other States "where corona didn't have this intensity, there also coronavirus spread due to this".

"During Covid, the Indian economy was the fastest growing in the world, farmers produced record quantity foodgrains… Lot of countries faced food shortages. But this country didn't let anyone die of hunger. India gave free ration to over 80 crore people and still giving," the PM said.

All this, he implied, was deliberate, because "some people thought corona will ruin Modi's image". "Is it country not yours or the people? Aren't their happiness sorrows yours as well?" he said.

"Such a big problem came, how many elected leaders requested people to wear masks, wash hands, practice social distancing. If they told the public so, what would have BJP government or Modi benefited?" he said, adding that for this behaviour of the Congress, "Not just me, the entire country is fed up".

As example, he cited States, which, he said, have rejected the Congress for decades. "In 1988, the people of Nagaland voted for the Congress last. Odisha voted for you last in 1995 -- it has been 27 years. In 1994, you won majority in Goa single-handedly, but Goa didn't accept you since. In 1988, Tripura, 34 years ago, you got the mandate. In 1985, it was the turn of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. In West Bengal, they voted for you last in 1972," Modi said.