NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday responded to barrage of opposition’s charges made during the debate on no-confidence motion against his government. Replying to the debate on no-confidence motion, PM Modi thanked the opposition for bringing the no-confidence motion and said it will prove lucky for us once again.

“In 2018, they brought a no-confidence motion and we won with huge margin. Now again, they have brought a no confidence motion and I am sure both the BJP and the NDA will return to power with record numbers,” PM Modi said taking a dig at the opposition.
“I gave them five years to come better prepared for a no-confidence debate, but you have failed again. Why don’t you work hard,” PM Modi said. He accused the opposition of staying away from discussions on important Bills in Parliament.

“You are not worried about the hunger of the poor, you are worried about your hunger for power,” PM Modi said.
This is the second time Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a no-confidence motion.
Earlier today, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attacked the Prime Minister for his silence over the Manipur issue. He said the opposition knew that it did not have numbers to dislodge the government, but we wanted the PM to come to the House and speak on Manipur.
“The power of no-confidence motion has brought the Prime Minister to Parliament today,” Adhir said. However, some of his remarks against the Prime Minister triggered an uproar in the House, with the treasury benches raising strong objections.
‘Earlier govts used to sell dreams to people, we fulfil them’
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her speech took a jibe at the ‘Garibi Hatao’ slogan of the Congress government headed by Indira Gandhi and asked if poverty was actually removed.
She said today India is in a unique position of being optimistic and positive about its future growth when the global economy is struggling, and asserted the Modi government has transformed governance by delivering on its promises.
“In 2022, there was only three per cent growth in the global economy. The World Bank has said in 2023, it will decline to 2.1 per cent,” she said.
“In this background, look at the Indian economy… In 2013, Morgan Stanley called India a fragile economy. Same Morgan Stanley has upgraded India, just in nine years, the fragile economy came out because of our government’s policy. There was improvement despite Covid,” she said.
“PM (Narendra) Modi has changed this completely. There is a transformation in our governance,” she said and asserted words such as “Milega” (you will get) have been replaced by people saying “Mil Gaya” (we have got it).
“We believe in empowering all and appeasement of none,” she said.
‘Tum abhi chup raho republic …’
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra took potshots at the government over the ethnic violence in Manipur. Moitra said that the no-confidence motion is to break the code of silence on Manipur.
“We are here to ask the question in our ‘tum abhi chup raho’ republic where the PM tells a Governor ‘chup raho’. We as elected MPs in this House are routinely told ‘chup raho’. This motion is to break this code of silence on Manipur”, said TMC’s Moitra.
Taking a dig at PM Modi, Moitra added, “PM Modi will not listen to us, he will come on the last day and give his speech. I do not know what is more unfortunate, our PM refuses to come to the Parliament or that he refuses to go to Manipur”.