New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday delivered a combative and wide-ranging reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, asserting that India is “riding on the Reform Express” towards becoming a developed nation, even as opposition parties staged a walkout amid loud sloganeering and protests in the Upper House.
Leading with India’s economic trajectory and global standing, the Prime Minister said the country was moving ahead with “high growth and low inflation,” a combination that reflected the inherent strength of the economy. “India was once described as part of the ‘fragile five’. Today, it is moving rapidly towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy,” Modi said, amid repeated interruptions.
As opposition members raised slogans, the Prime Minister remarked sharply, “Members of the Opposition can continue raising slogans even while seated.”
The atmosphere in the Rajya Sabha remained charged through the day. Members of the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), CPI and CPI(M) walked out in protest, accusing the government of curbing democratic rights. The immediate trigger was the Chair’s decision to prevent Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge from quoting unpublished excerpts from former Army chief General M.M. Naravane’s book on the 2020 India-China standoff.
Opposition parties said the decision reflected a pattern of intolerance towards dissent. “This is a denial of democratic rights,” the Opposition leaders said as they exited the House.
Political tensions were mirrored in the Lok Sabha as well, where the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address was passed earlier without Prime Minister Modi replying to the debate. Opposition leaders criticised the government for not allowing Rahul Gandhi to speak, calling it “a serious violation of parliamentary convention”.
In the Rajya Sabha, Modi framed his speech around what he described as a post-Covid “new world order”, arguing that global power equations were shifting in India’s favour. “The world is moving towards a new world order, and that order is inclined towards India,” he said, pointing to countries seeking trade agreements with New Delhi.
Highlighting India’s expanding trade footprint, the Prime Minister said the country was signing “future-ready” trade deals, including what he called the “mother of all deals” with the 27-nation European Union.
“Never before did 27 countries came together to strike a trade deal with India in one go. The Opposition will have to answer one day why no country came forward for such agreements in the past,” he said.
According to Modi, these agreements had opened global markets for Indian youth. “The world market is now open for our young talent. There is a growing demand for caregivers and skilled professionals from India,” he said, adding that India’s MSME network and manufacturing ecosystem were gaining global trust.
The Prime Minister also underlined India’s diplomatic positioning, saying the country had emerged as a strong voice of the Global South. “Today, when the world talks of the Global South, India speaks for it on global platforms,” he said.
He noted that while many developed nations were ageing, India was becoming younger and at a crucial stage of its development. “The second quarter of the 21st century will be decisive for India. We cannot stop or turn back. We have to move forward towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat,” Modi said.
A significant portion of the Prime Minister’s speech was devoted to attacking previous governments. He accused Congress-led administrations of vote-bank politics and a lack of long-term vision. “If you listen to the speeches of Congress Prime Ministers from the Red Fort, you will see they lacked an outlook for the nation,” Modi said.
“Congress, TMC and Left parties were in power for years, but they only filled their own coffers and did not work for the welfare and development of the people,” he added.
Taking aim at the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee without naming her directly, Modi alleged that infiltrators were being protected in the state. “Infiltrators are snatching away the rights of India’s youth, taking away jobs and lands of tribals,” he said, claiming the Opposition parties were even approaching courts to back illegal intruders from Bangladesh.
Defending his government’s economic record, Modi said the banking sector, once “sick” under Congress rule, had been revived through structural reforms. “During the Congress regime, there was a mountain of NPAs. Today, we have finished the NPA problem. Banks are making profits now,” he said, noting that non-performing assets had been reduced to their lowest levels.
He cited bank mergers, PSU reforms and record profits at entities such as HAL, SBI and LIC as evidence that public sector units had been strengthened, not weakened. “PSUs were once built to fail. Reforms have saved them and given speed to Make in India,” he said.
On welfare, Modi highlighted the Mudra Yojana, under which loans worth Rs 30 lakh crore had been given without collateral, with women being the main beneficiaries. He also pointed to PM-Kisan, saying Rs 4 lakh crore had been directly transferred to small farmers who were “ignored for decades” by previous governments.
Summing up his address, the Prime Minister said India had boarded the “Reform Express” guided by the mantra of “Reform, Perform and Transform”. “New developments are taking place in the world every day. India is not just adapting to change, it is leading it,” he said.
Even as opposition benches remained largely empty following the walkout, Modi insisted that those who “got tired and walked away” would one day have to answer for what he described as decades of missed opportunities. “The nation is moving forward at a fast pace, with full self-confidence,” he said. UNI SKA MBJ PKJ KK
PM Modi mounts robust defence of reforms, trade push in Rajya Sabha amid turmoil and Opposition walkout
