New Delhi, July 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said that the government was serving people with the mantra that all religions were equal.
Replying to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address to the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, PM Modi while addressing the House said that in the last 10 years, the government had strived to serve the people with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ and the principles of ‘Sarv Panth Sambhav’, which means all religions are equal.
Thanking the President for her address and highlighting the idea of ‘Viksit Bharat’ which was the focal point of her address, he said that his government would work at three times the speed in its third term and apply three times energy and deliver three times results.
The PM said that the President of India raised important issues in her address and also thanked her for her guidance.
As many members shared their thoughts over the President’s address, on Monday and Tuesday, he especially thanked the first-time Members of Parliament who shared their thoughts on the President’s address by respecting the rules of the House.
PM Modi said that their demeanour was no less than any seasoned Member of Parliament and their thoughts had further enriched the merit of this debate.
Thanking the electorate for choosing the government by exercising their franchise in the world’s largest election, he thanked the citizens of India for electing the present government for the third time in a row and termed it a moment of pride in the democratic world.
The PM said that the government’s efforts for the past 10 years were the deciding factor for the voters and highlighted the government’s commitment to serving the citizens with the belief of ‘Jan Seva Hi Prabhu Seva’ (service to humanity is service to God).
He said that more than 25 crore poor had been lifted out of poverty in such a short span for the first time since independence.
Reiterating the stand of zero tolerance for corruption after 2014, PM Modi said that the electorates of the country brought them to power again.
“Today India’s reputation has improved across the world. Every Indian now feels proud,” he said. “Each of my government’s policies, decisions, and work prioritised India.”
Throwing light on the growing presence of India on the global stage, the PM said that the outlook of the world towards the nation had transformed and it instils pride in every citizen.
He emphasised the sole aim of ‘nation first’ which was reflected in the policies and decisions of the government.
PM Modi said that with this belief the government had continued the process of reforms throughout the nation.
He said that India had seen the appeasement politics and governance model of appeasement for a long time now.
The PM highlighted that for the first time in India, his government worked towards secularism with satisfaction and confirmation of the people.
He underlined that satisfaction for him meant achieving saturation in various policies of the government and accomplishing their resolve of ensuring service delivery to the last person in India.
PM Modi said that this philosophy of saturation for him, in the true sense meant social justice and secularism, and had been approved by the people of India in the form of the third consecutive term.
He said that this election had once again proved the maturity and idealism of the people of India. “People have shown trust in our policies, intentions and commitment,” the PM said.
He said that the people had endorsed the resolution of Viksit Bharat in this election.
Underlining the importance of a developed nation, PM Modi said that the dreams of every citizen of the country were fulfilled when it progressed, while simultaneously laying the foundation for fulfilling the aspirations of the future generations as well.
He said that the people of India deserve to reap the benefits of a developed India which the previous generations had always longed for.
The PM said that the creation of Viksit Bharat would drastically improve the living conditions and the quality of life in the villages and cities of India while also instilling a feeling of pride among the people and creating numerous opportunities for them.
“India’s cities will participate equally with other developed cities of the world,” he said.
PM Modi said that Viksit Bharat refers to the availability of multiple and equal opportunities for each citizen of the country.
“It ensures growth for everyone based on skills, resources, and potential,” he said.
The PM assured the citizens of India that the government would make all possible efforts to realise the ideal of Viksit Bharat in earnest and honesty.
“Every moment of time and every cell of our bodies is dedicated to the idea of creating a Viksit Bharat,” he said. “24X7 for 2047.”
PM Modi recalled the period before 2014 when the entire nation was in a state of despair.
Terming the loss of confidence among the citizens as the biggest loss to the nation during the period, he said that it created a cloud of disappointment.
The PM recalled that it was an era marred by scams and policy paralysis pushing the country into the list of fragile five economies.
“Common citizens had lost all hope. Bribery was a common practice, be it for house, gas connection or to receive grains through the Public Distribution System,” he said.
PM Modi said that the citizens of the country were forced to go about their everyday life blaming their fate for the poor condition of the state before 2014.
“They chose us, ushering in a moment of change,” he said.
PM Modi highlighted the government’s efforts in transforming those who once thought that nothing was possible into believing that everything is possible.
Listing down the government’s achievements, he mentioned a successful 5G rollout, highest coal production, transformative policies to strengthen the nation’s banking system, zero tolerance policy for terrorism and abrogation of Article 370.
“As the walls of Article 370 have been demolished, democracy is strengthening,” the PM said, noting the record voter turnouts in the recently concluded general elections.
“The belief, expectations, and trust of 140 crore citizens become a driving force for development,” he said. “This belief symbolises accomplishment by determination.”
PM Modi said that citizens were as excited and confident today, as they were during the freedom struggle, to make India a developed nation.
Hailing the progress of the country in the last 10 years, he said, “Today Bharat needs to compete with itself. We have to break our old records and take the country to the next level.”
The PM said that the path of development that India had taken in the last decade had now become a benchmark.
He expressed confidence that the country would progress at a faster pace, saying, “We will take every sector to the next level.”
PM Modi said that in the last 10 years, India grew from the 10th largest to the 5th largest economy in the world, while expressing confidence that India would soon be the 3rd largest economy in the world.
Underlining that India had now become one of the largest mobile manufacturers and exporters in the world, he expressed confidence that the nation would scale similar heights in the field of semiconductors in the government’s third term.
The PM reiterated that even though the nation would conquer new milestones and reach new heights, the government would be rooted in the service of the common citizens.
He said 4 crore pucca houses were handed to the poor and said that 3 crore new houses would be built in the coming times.
Referring to the rise of women’s self-help groups, PM Modi informed about the government’s plan of action to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis.
He said that a government coming to power for the third time in a row after 60 years signifies the efforts of the government and the trust created by it among the citizens.
“Such feats are not achieved by petty politics but by the blessings of the citizens,” PM Modi said. “People have chosen stability and continuity.”
He also lauded the people’s mandate in the Legislative Assembly elections held in the four states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and also mentioned massive victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh in the Lok Sabha elections.
The PM also touched upon the increasing vote share in multiple states across the country.
“Janta Janardan is by our side,” he said.
Reflecting on the recent Lok Sabha election results, PM Modi urged the opposition to accept the mandate of the people with humility and understand the people’s message.
He said that the people had chosen the path of development and were determined to realise the goal of Viksit Bharat.
Noting that India should collectively embark on a new journey of development, the PM asked the citizens of India to remain vigilant against those choosing the path of chaos, lawlessness, and divisive politics.
He also warned against the unsuitable economic policies that tend to push the nation towards economic chaos and the spread of misinformation in the country.
PM Modi also urged the opposition through the Speaker to maintain the decorum and dignity of the august House and also suggested the Speaker take corrective measures so that the sanctity of the House remains unperturbed.
Speaking about the era of Emergency, he said that those ruling the nation had created a dictatorial atmosphere in the country causing widespread cruelty to the citizens and injustice to the nation.
The PM also recalled the time when Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar resigned from the cabinet citing his resentment towards the then government’s lack of action to protect the rights of backward classes and scheduled castes as promised in the new Indian constitution.
He highlighted the atrocities meted out to other prominent leaders such as Jagjivan Ram, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and Sitaram Kesri.
Quoting philosopher Swami Vivekanand’s Chicago speech, PM Modi said that he takes pride in belonging to a religion that has taught tolerance and universal acceptance to the world.
He said that India’s democracy and diversity had flourished only because of tolerance and the spirit of unity of the Hindu community.
The PM also expressed concern that today, the Hindu community was being falsely accused and conspired against.
Hailing the valour and strength of the armed forces of India, he highlighted that there were a host of reforms undertaken in the defence sector in the last 10 years and mentioned modernising and equipping India’s armed forces to take on every challenge.
PM Modi stressed that the government was making all efforts for the armed forces to be battle-ready, keeping in mind the motive of national security.
Underlining the importance of setting up a theatre command, he expressed satisfaction that work was being done in the direction of establishing this long overdue military organisational structure after the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The PM highlighted that important reforms were being undertaken to make the armed forces self-reliant in ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
He stressed that the armed forces should be young and there was a need to increase the number of youngsters in the forces.
PM Modi underlined that national security was a serious matter and the government was undertaking timely reforms to make the armed forces ‘battle-worthy’.
He said that there was an enormous change in the landscape of warfare, be it the weapons or technique and hence, there was a huge responsibility on the government to strengthen the forces to tackle such emerging challenges despite false allegations and accusations.
The PM said that various corruption scandals had stalled the strengthening of the capabilities of the armed forces.
He highlighted that his government in the past had implemented the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ scheme which was stalled for a long time.
PM Modi said that despite the difficulties of the COVID pandemic, his government had granted Rs 1.2 lakh crore for the implementation of the OROP scheme.
Expressing concern over the recent paper leaks, he assured the youth of the country that his government was extremely serious about preventing such incidents in the future and was working on a war footing to fulfil its responsibilities towards them and the nation.
The PM said that several arrests had been made across the country in concern to the NEET-UG paper leak incident.
“The central government has already introduced a strict law. Necessary steps are being taken to strengthen the entire screening system,” he said.
PM Modi said that development had been the government’s biggest resolution in the past 10 years.
He highlighted the resolutions of making India the third-largest economy in the world, supplying clean drinking water to every household, providing pucca homes to every poor, strengthening the armed forces by making them self-reliant, boosting the renewable energy space in the country, making India a green hydrogen hub, modernising infrastructure development, creating new employment and self-employment opportunities in developed India, empowering skill development, and shaping the future of the youth.
Referring to a recent study, the PM said that job creation had seen record numbers in the private industry in the last 18 years.
Applauding the Digital India movement, he said that India stands as a shining example of a digital payment system in the world.
Referring to the G20 Summit, PM Modi underlined that even the developed countries of the world were amazed by India’s digital movement.
He observed the growth of competition and challenges with India’s progress and warned against those who look at the nation’s progress as a challenge while inflicting harm on India’s democracy, demography, and diversity.
Quoting a judgement by the Supreme Court of India, the PM said, “It seems that a strong effort is being made to undermine India’s progress by creating doubt and weakening its foundations in every endeavour. Such efforts must be culled from the source.”
He stressed the need for serious deliberations by the entire House on the observations made by the Supreme Court of India and also urged the citizens to remain vigilant of such forces.
“India will never tolerate anti-national conspiracies,” PM Modi said.
He reiterated that the world was treating India’s progress with extreme seriousness while also noticing all the intricacies.
The PM stressed the need for the contributions of each member of the House to accomplish the resolutions and create a developed India.
He urged the members to come forward with the belief in national welfare.
“We should walk shoulder to shoulder and fulfil the dreams and expectations of the citizens,” PM Modi said.
He also stressed the importance of positive politics in the present era.
“Let us compete on good governance, delivery, and fulfilling the expectations of the people,” the PM said.
He also condoled the deaths of victims in a stampede accident in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
PM Modi wished a speedy recovery for the injured in the accident.
He also informed the House that the state government was actively engaged in the search and rescue operations while senior officials of the central government were in constant touch with the state government to ensure all necessary help for the victims.
The PM congratulated the first-time Members of Parliament and expressed confidence that they would have a lot to learn.
He thanked the President for her address and the members for their thoughts and contributions to the Motion of Thanks.
