PM Modi slams Congress, accuses it of ‘family first’ approach

New Delhi, Feb 6: In yet another attack on the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the opposition of prioritising a “family first” approach over national development.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address on Thursday evening, Modi asserted that expecting the grand old party (Congress) to embrace the ethos of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” would be a “huge mistake.”

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister launched a blistering attack on the opposition, particularly targeting the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Lok Sabha address.

While responding to the motion of thanks on the President’s address, Modi used the occasion to assert his government’s achievements while ridiculing his rivals for their political narratives and governance failures.

He showcased the achievements of his government as compared to the Congress rule in India.

“It is beyond their thinking, and it also doesn’t suit their roadmap because the whole party (Congress) is dedicated only to one family,” the Prime Minister said.

In contrast, he positioned his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) as unwavering in its commitment to “nation first.”

Hailing his administration’s policies since 2014, Modi claimed that India had witnessed an “alternative model of governance” that rejected “appeasement politics” in favour of inclusive progress.

“Our governance model is based on satisfaction, not appeasement,” he asserted, taking a swipe at the Congress’s history of political favouritism.

The Prime Minister credited his government with expanding reservations for differently-abled individuals, strengthening legal rights for transgender communities, and ensuring constitutional status for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) commission reforms that, he noted, had been long denied under Congress rule.

“For three decades, OBC MPs from all parties demanded constitutional status for the OBC Commission. But their demand was repeatedly rejected as it did not suit Congress’s politics. We fulfilled that demand,” he said.

Modi in his long speech brought forward history to highlight his allegations against the Congress. He accused the party of undermining Dr B R Ambedkar and attempting to erase his legacy. “Congress hated Baba Saheb Ambedkar so much so that it did everything to defeat him in elections. They never considered him worthy of Bharat Ratna. Today, they are forced to say ‘Jai Bhim,’” he remarked.

The Emergency of 1975 was also mentioned in Modi’s speech, as he accused the Congress of stifling freedom of expression and crushing democratic institutions. “During the Emergency, famous actors like Dev Anand and Balraj Sahni were targeted, and even poets who spoke against the government were jailed. Kishore Kumar’s songs were banned from All India Radio because he refused to sing for them,” Modi said.

Shifting the focus to the government’s economic and social policies, Modi highlighted his administration’s efforts in education reform and job creation. He touted the introduction of the New Education Policy (NEP), the establishment of nearly 12,000 PM-SHRI schools, and the expansion of educational opportunities in regional languages. “After nearly three decades, we brought in a New Education Policy that prioritises learning in one’s mother tongue,” he said.

Modi also highlighted India’s progress in manufacturing and exports, particularly in the “toy industry.”

“Earlier, India was a major importer of toys. Today, we are exporting three times more than before,” he noted, attributing the shift to the government’s policies aimed at empowering local artisans and small-scale industries.

Modi painted the Congress as a party in decline, asserting that its allies were “running away” post-election. “The mantra of Congress politics has always been to shorten the lines of others. If any political party formed a government anywhere, they destabilised it. Now, even those who stood with them after the elections are distancing themselves,” he remarked.

The Prime Minister, in his speech also reinforced his vision of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) and the BJP’s commitment to driving the aspirations of a rising middle class. “The aspirations of the neo-middle class and middle class are giving impetus to the nation’s progress,” he said, positioning his party as the torchbearer of economic transformation.