"Under Them, Deals Meant Bofors": PM's Dig At Congress Over US Pact Criticism

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha amid a cacophony by Opposition MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and said he could sit and shout slogans, given his age. 

The PM arrived in the Rajya Sabha to reply to the motion of thanks on the President's address around 5 pm on Thursday, a day after he could not speak in the Lok Sabha because of chaos and Opposition MPs allegedly surrounding his chair. 

As soon as the PM began speaking, Opposition MPs began shouting slogans - against dictatorship and demanding that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, be allowed to speak - at a very high volume, making it difficult for him to be heard. 

While the sloganeering continued, PM Modi paused and referred to Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and said the 83-year-old MP could sit and shout slogans because of his advanced age. Undeterred by the jibe, Opposition MPs continued to shout slogans for several more minutes, before eventually walking out. 

As the Prime Minister continued speaking, he referred to the recent trade deals with the European Union and the United States and took another dig at the Opposition, this time over the walkout. "They got tired and left," he said.

The Congress, the Prime Minister insisted, had left behind a mess in 2014 and his government has had to put in a lot of effort to clean it up. "The world had a certain image of India because of them, and I had to spend time changing that. This is how bad things were," he said. 

Name-checking parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, the Left and the DMK, PM Modi said they have ruled at the Centre and in states for decades but are known primarily for corruption. "Even now, when people speak about them, they don't talk about trade deals. They talk about deals like Bofors," he jeered.

The reference to the Bofors scandal is being seen as the Prime Minister's response to the Congress' allegations that the Centre had compromised India's interests and given in to US pressure in its agreement with the country, details of which are yet to be made public. The Opposition has claimed farmers' interests will be hurt because of the deal, but the Centre has assured that sectors like agriculture and dairy will remain protected. 

Underlining his government's focus on ensuring projects reach fruition, PM Modi said, "The Congress only imagines and does nothing about implementation."