- Feb 06, 2025
- Myind Staff
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'It would take years to import a computer': PM Modi hits at Congress in Rajya Sabha
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the Rajya Sabha to reply to the Motion of Thanks on President Droupadi Murmu's address in Parliament. In his speech, PM Modi slammed the Congress Party, stating that it did not follow the ideas of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. He was warmly welcomed as he entered the Rajya Sabha to address the members regarding the President's Motion of Thanks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the arrests of poet Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni, along with the ban on Dev Anand's films on Doordarshan during the Emergency, to criticise the Congress party over its stance on freedom of speech. While replying to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks for the President's address, PM Modi stated that the word "Constitution" does not suit the Congress, as the party had imprisoned leaders like George Fernandes during the Emergency. "(Actor) Dev Anand was requested to support the Emergency publicly. However, he clearly refused. He showed courage, and therefore, all the films of Dev Anand were banned on Doordarshan," PM Modi said in an over one-and-a-half hour speech. Dev Anand, like many other artists, faced a ban during the Emergency for not following the government's orders. The late actor shared his experiences in his book, Romancing with Life. When he refused to support the Emergency on Doordarshan, all his films were banned from being shown on television. PM Modi also spoke about how the government under Jawaharlal Nehru had dismissed Lata Mangeshkar's brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, from All India Radio (AIR) for reciting a poem about the Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar. "During Nehru's tenure, a workers' strike was held in Mumbai. During that strike, the famous poet Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poem. After that, he was put in jail. Famous actor Balraj Sahni was also jailed only because he participated in a protest. Hridaynath Mangeshkar had written a poem on Veer Savarkar and wanted to sing it on Akashvani but was banned from Akashvani for life," PM Modi said. The Prime Minister continued his criticism of the Congress, claiming that the "licence/permit raj" during Congress governments held back progress and that India had to wait for many years to access new technologies. "People had to pay bribes for permits. It would take years to import a computer... Today, the country is taking a sigh of relief after being freed from the clutches of Congress." PM Modi said. In an effort to discredit the Congress for charges that the BJP was "destroying" the Constitution, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that the Congress "hated" BR Ambedkar, who drafted the US Constitution. "It is well documented how much anger and hatred Congress had towards Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. They never considered Baba Saheb worthy of the Bharat Ratna award. The party also tried to defeat Ambedkar twice in elections. But today, due to compulsions, they have to raise the slogan of 'Jai Bheem'," PM Modi said. In the 1952 Lok Sabha election, Ambedkar lost to Narayan Kajrolkar from Congress in the Bombay (North) constituency. He was also defeated again by Congress in the 1954 by-election in Bhandara. The Prime Minister pointed out that the Congress's development paradigm was "Family first"—a reference to the Gandhis—while the BJP's was "nation first." "Expecting 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' from Congress would be a huge mistake. It is beyond their thinking, and it also doesn't suit their roadmap because the whole party is dedicated only to one family," the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister cautioned that efforts were being made to disseminate caste poison in society and aimed his guns at Rahul Gandhi for pushing for a caste census. "For many years, OBC MPs from all parties had been demanding Constitutional status for the OBC panel. But their demand was rejected, as it might not have suited their (Congress) politics. But we gave constitutional status to this panel," PM Modi said.- Feb 01, 2025
- Ramaharitha Pusarla