From 'Urban Naxal' To 'Sheesh Mahal': PM Modi's Jibes At Rahul, 'AAP-da' In Fiery Lok Sabha Speech — Top Quotes
Prime Minister Modi criticised LoP Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in his Lok Sabha address. He highlighted his govt's initiatives and slammed Rajiv Gandhi's term as Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in his speech on Tuesday, during a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha.
PM Modi's Top Quotes In Lok Sabha
- In his remarks, Modi criticised Rahi Gandhi for his recent comments of 'fighting the Indian state', accusing him of speaking the language of "urban naxals." "Today, some people are openly speaking the language of urban naxals. The things that urban naxals say are being said. These people who speak the language of urban naxals, who declare war against the Indian State, can neither understand the Constitution nor about the country's unity," Modi stated. While Modi did not name anyone, his comments were widely interpreted as a response to Gandhi’s remarks last month, in which he declared that the fight was against the BJP, RSS, and the Indian state.
- The Prime Minister also took aim at Arvind Kejriwal, referring to him and his party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a veiled jibe. "Some leaders focus on jacuzzi and stylish showers while our government focuses on providing water to every household," he remarked. He further criticised political parties that make promises to the youth but fail to deliver, saying, "Some parties are like 'AAP-da' for the future of the youth," implying that they deceive the younger generation with false promises.
On the subject of governance, Modi defended his government’s policies, asserting that schemes had saved substantial amounts of money, which were not used to build luxurious structures but were invested in nation-building. "Some government schemes saved a lot of money, but we did not use it to build 'Sheesh Mahal," he said. - In a swipe at Gandhi's comments following the President’s address on 31 January, where Rahul was overheard asking Sonia Gandhi whether the speech was boring, Modi remarked, "Those who entertain themselves by getting photo sessions done in huts of the poor will find the talk about the poor in Parliament boring."
"We did not give false slogans, but real development to people. Till five decades, slogans of 'garibi hatao' were heard and now 25 crore poor have come out of poverty," he said. "Till now poor people have got four crore house. The one who has lived that kind of life knows what it means to have a house with a proper roof," Modi remarked. "Pain of poor, troubles of common man, cannot be understood just like that; it requires passion and some just don't have it. We live by the spirit of the Constitution and do not resort to politics of poison," he added in a swipe at the opposition. - He also slammed the Opposition for 'insulting' President Droupadi Murmu. "A woman President is being humiliated, I can understand the political frustration. But what is the reason why the President is being insulted? What is the reason...Today, India is moving ahead leaving this kind of distorted mentality and taking the mantra of women-led development forward... If half of the population gets the full opportunity, then India can move ahead at twice the speed. And this belief of mine has become stronger after working in the field for several years," he commented over Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's 'poor thing' remark for Murmu.
- The Prime Minister addressed issues of social justice, specifically criticising the opposition's stance on caste-based politics. "For some people, speaking about caste is fashion. OBC MPs have been demanding that the OBC Commission be granted Constitutional status for the last 30 years. Those who see a benefit in casteism today did not think of the OBC community back then," Modi said. He pointed out that his government had granted Constitutional status to the OBC Commission and had worked to provide greater opportunities for SC, ST, and OBC communities.
- In a direct response to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on India's foreign policy, Modi took a dig at the Leader of Opposition, saying, "While discussing the President's Address, foreign policy was also discussed here. A few people think that they don’t appear mature if they don’t speak on foreign policy. They think that they should definitely speak on foreign policy, even if it causes harm to the country.
"If they have a real interest in the subject of foreign policy, if they want to understand it and want to do something while going ahead, they should definitely read a book, 'JFK's Forgotten Crisis.' This book speaks in detail about the discussions and decisions between Pandit Nehru and US President John F. Kennedy," he added. ALSO READ | ‘Rahul Gandhi's Lies Damage Nation Abroad’: EAM Jaishankar Denies Seeking Trump Invite For PM Modi - In a broader critique of past administrations, Modi slammed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for his 'disconnect' from reality, referencing a famous cartoon from the Times of India, which depicted the 21st-century aspirations of the Congress-led government. "A PM who used to chant '21st century' was so far from reality that he was unable to provide for the needs of the 20th century," Modi said.
"A PM was there in our country who identified one problem and said that when One Rupee was sent from Delhi, only 15 paise reached the bottom...who was getting the 15 paise this everyone can understand...at that time there was only party from the panchayat level to the central level...We tried to find a solution, and our model is 'Bhachat bhi Vikas bhi', 'Janata ka paisa janata ke liye'," he remarked referring to Rajiv Gandhi.
"(Referring to Speaker) When you worked with Yuva Morcha, you must have heard and read, one PM used to repeat '21st century'. When it was said so many times, RK Laxman made an excellent cartoon for the Times of India, that cartoon was very interesting, it had an airplane, a pilot, some passengers were sitting, and that plane was kept on a cart, and labourers were pushing that cart and 21st century was written on it. That cartoon looked like a joke at that time, but it turned into reality later. This was a sarcasm to show how PMs back then were far from reality," PM Modi said
He expressed regret over India's delayed growth saying, "Today when I look back, I feel very sad. We are late by 40-50 years; works that should have been done 40-50 years ago... and that is why, when people gave us the opportunity to serve them in 2014, we focused on the youth. We emphasised the aspirations of the youth."
- Modi also condemned the opposition’s "divisive language," asserting that the NDA government had always prioritised the marginalised. "Our focus has always been on the last person in line, as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi," Modi stated, adding that efforts to create a "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India) would require a departure from "tushtikaran" (appeasement) to "santushtikaran" (satisfaction) – ensuring the welfare of all.
- PM Modi lauded the Union Budget for providing relief to the middle class with income tax exemption. "In the last 10 years, we have enhanced savings of the middle class by reducing Income Tax. Before 2014, such 'bombs' were hurled and 'bullets' were shot, that it affected the lives of people. We gradually healed those wounds and moved forward. In 2013-2014 tax exemption was only on Rs 2 Lakh income. Today there is an Income tax exemption on Rs 12 lakh income...We healed wounds and today we have applied bandages too. If we add the Rs 75,000 standard deduction, after April 1, salaried class in the country will not have to pay any tax on income up to Rs 12.75 Lakh," he said.
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The Prime Minister also took credit for the government's efforts to improve the lives of the poor, highlighting the progress made under schemes like Ayushman Bharat. He remarked that the savings from these efforts were not squandered, but used for public welfare. "10 years ago, before we came to power, the infrastructure budget was Rs 1.80 lakh crore. Today, it is Rs 11 lakh crore," he noted.
On the subject of his government’s work in the last decade, Modi concluded, "We have done so much for the poor, and because of this, the President has detailed it in her address. Our focus is on finding a resolution to the problems, and we dedicate ourselves to making those efforts."
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