PM Modi counters Opposition disruptions in Rajya Sabha, defends his government’s reforms, banking sector success, and national security decisions, while launching a sharp critique of Congress governance and political legacy during the Motion of Thanks debate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday firmly countered attempts by the Opposition to disrupt his address in the Rajya Sabha, delivering a nearly 100-minute speech marked by sharp political rebuttals, policy defence, and a sustained critique of the Congress party’s past governance. Unlike the previous day in the Lok Sabha, where his participation during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address was repeatedly stalled, the Opposition failed to prevent him from speaking in the Upper House.
Clearly anticipating an aggressive Opposition stance, Prime Minister Modi began his speech amid loud slogans from Opposition benches, with Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, leading the chorus. However, the Prime Minister appeared unfazed, responding with wit and resolve.
“I thank my friends in the Congress who have provoked me earlier. I have been stopped from speaking five or six times in the last ten years. They know that once I start speaking, I do not stop,” Modi remarked, drawing laughter and applause from the treasury benches as he concluded his address.
In a lighter moment, he added that the Opposition had finally realised that they could not always have things their way, expressing hope that “better sense” would prevail in the future as well.
The Prime Minister briefly urged Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to advise the 83-year-old Kharge to raise slogans while seated and allow younger Members of Parliament to take the floor. This remark immediately triggered sharper protests, escalating the noise level and ultimately leading to a walkout by Congress members and their allies.
Once the Opposition vacated the House, the Prime Minister continued uninterrupted, using the opportunity to draw a stark contrast between what he described as “decades of policy paralysis” under previous governments and what he claimed was a record of decisive governance under his leadership.
Highlighting India’s journey towards the goal of “Viksit Bharat,” Modi asserted that his government had delivered results even under challenging circumstances. He cited banking sector reforms as a major achievement, noting that non-performing assets had been reduced to below one per cent, a sharp turnaround from what he described as a crisis inherited from earlier administrations.
The Prime Minister also pointed to the revival of public sector undertakings, stating that PSUs were now posting record profits, driving employment, supporting the Make in India initiative, and expanding India’s industrial footprint globally.
Turning his attention to regional politics, Modi launched a pointed attack on the Trinamool Congress, accusing “some parties” of shielding illegal immigrants for political gains. He alleged that such practices were depriving local youth of jobs, encroaching on tribal lands, fuelling violence, and compromising women’s safety, while also highlighting what he termed as a poor law-and-order situation in West Bengal.
Addressing criticism of India’s international agreements, Modi said that the word “deal” now represented positive trade and strategic partnerships, unlike in the past when it was associated with corruption scandals such as the Bofors case, which he said had become synonymous with personal enrichment and governance failure.
In one of the most emotionally charged moments of his speech, the Prime Minister referred to years of personal attacks and slogans calling for his political downfall. He declared that repeated attempts to undermine him had failed and would continue to fail, asserting that his resolve had only strengthened over time.
Modi listed several key decisions taken by his government despite sustained Opposition criticism, including the abrogation of Article 370, counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast, surgical strikes across the border, intensified action against Maoist insurgents, and the revision of outdated river-sharing provisions with Pakistan.
Accusing the Opposition of viewing the Prime Minister’s office as a “family inheritance,” Modi said they could not tolerate his rise or continued electoral success. He also hit back at constitutional lectures from Opposition benches, alleging disrespect towards President Droupadi Murmu, whom he described as an Adivasi woman holding the highest constitutional office in the country.
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Condemning political violence, the Prime Minister recalled the attack on nominated Rajya Sabha member C. Sadanandan Master, who lost both legs in a brutal assault in Kerala in 1994, allegedly by CPI(M) workers. He further criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent remark branding Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu a “traitor,” calling it an insult to the Sikh community.
Despite a turbulent start marked by slogans and interruptions, Prime Minister Modi’s Rajya Sabha address concluded as a forceful defence of his government’s policies, national security decisions, and reform agenda, while sharply scrutinising the Congress party’s historical record in power.
