Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Lok Sabha for the reply to Motion of Thanks to President’s Address talked about how Congress’ ‘Garibi Hatao’ (eradicate poverty) has remained only a political slogan.

At around 1 hour into the speech, PM Modi talks about inflation and how the same has been under control in India despite the covid situation. PM Modi talks about how Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India addressed the country from the Red Fort and said how any event in another part of the world affects prices in India. “He addressed the nation and said that sometimes even a fight in Korea affects us. Because of which prices of things increase. This was Nehruji, India’s first Prime Minister,” he said.

“The first prime minister of the country surrendered to prise rise in front of the citizens of the country. He further said that if something happens in America, then even that affects prices in India,” he said. PM Modi said how back then when globalization was not this high, the menace of price rise was so much that Nehru had to surrender himself to it and admit it from the Red Fort.

“Congress has been winning elections since 1971 on the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’. Even after 40 years, poverty didn’t go anywhere but the Congress government changed the definition of poverty. Speaker Sir, the youth of the nation needs to know this,” he said.

PM Modi then took a dig at opposition leaders trying to create ruckus and said that they disrupt the speech when they know they’re going to get a huge blow. “They know that they are badly stuck. Speaker sir, after 40 years, the poverty didn’t go anywhere but the poor removed Congress. And what did Congress do? Congress changed the definition of poverty. In 2013, in just one stroke, they created magic on paper and made 17 crore poor people rich,” PM Modi said.

In 2013, the Planning Commission under the Congress-led UPA had said that the estimated poverty line was set at Rs 27 a day for people in rural areas and Rs 33 per day in urban areas. That means, anyone, earning more than that amount would not be considered poor. This had resulted in bringing down the number of poor people in India from 37.2% of the population to 21.9%.

References:

opindia.com