New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday drew a “stark contrast” between the President’s address during the UPA tenure and that of the NDA period, asserting that the Narendra Modi-led government has delivered the “most honest and integrable” policies over the past 10 years.
Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Lok Sabha, Surya said the address marked a significant moment for the country.
“This is the 12th year of the Narendra Modi government, and the first speech of the President to this House comes at a time when India today, despite the global economic slowdown, is the world’s fastest-growing large economy. It comes at a time when India has lifted 24 crore people out of poverty, when our people are given wings to their aspirations, when Yuva Shakti is being empowered to be the future torch bearers of this civilisation,” he said.
He further pointed to the sustained political support enjoyed by the government, attributing it to what he described as consistent performance and leadership.
“In the last 12 years, the popularity and political capital of our government and our Prime Minister have been on constant increase… It is a testament to the Prime Minister’s dedication and delivery of development that not once or twice, but he has been elected as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive time with a thumping majority,” Surya added.
Drawing comparisons with the UPA era, the BJP MP said the current President’s address highlights the scale of change witnessed by the country in recent years.
He described it as a reflection of “the significant progress made by the nation” and also as a “stark example to the country of what was a lost decade of opportunity to the country and what is today, a decade under transformation under PM Narendra Modi.”
Surya said one of the most visible differences between the two periods was the absence of corruption references in recent Presidents’ addresses.
“The biggest change in the past decade is that the President’s address, of the last 10 years, does not include an instance of corruption scams or scandals because we have delivered the most honest and transparent government in the last 10 years. This has been the biggest achievement of this government,” he said.
To underline his point, the BJP MP read out a stanza from the President’s address of 2011, when corruption was mentioned, and contrasted it with the narrative during the current government’s tenure.
Referring to the President’s remarks on India’s economic performance in recent years, Surya again compared it with the UPA period, claiming that the earlier decade was marked by pessimism.
He said that during the 10 years of the UPA government, the economic narrative revolved around “slowdown, inflation, anxiety, youth having no jobs and most importantly, excuses”.
He acknowledged that the NDA government had also faced serious challenges but said the approach had been different.
“It was not like we did not face any challenges in the past 10 years. We faced a once-in-a-century pandemic. But we did not blame our domestic economic record because of the pandemic,” Surya added.
He also highlighted the “declining trend” in the situation of terrorism and extremism as compared to that of the UPA tenure.
–IANS
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