February 18, 2025 08:52 am (IST)
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PM Modi attacks Opposition in Parliament. Photo courtesy: Videograb from official X

Some leaders focus on Jacuzzis, photo-ops in huts: PM Modi tears into opposition in Parliament

| @indiablooms | Feb 04, 2025, at 09:50 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the opposition starting with Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, his direct rival ahead of the Delhi Assembly election and said some political leaders focus on Jacuzzis and stylish showers even as people don't get water connections at homes.

Modi made the remarks as he responded to a discussion in Parliament on President Droupadi Murmu's address last week.

His comment was a dig at Kejriwal spending Rs 45 crore of taxpayer money on luxury fittings and furnishings for the CM bungalow, dubbed 'sheeshmahal' by the BJP.

"Some leaders are focusing on jacuzzies and stylish showers... but our focus is on getting water connections in every home (and) our government gave tap water to 12 crore families," he declared.

He also slammed the AAP, which many see as the BJP's only opponent in this Delhi election, for having reneged on earlier pre-poll promises.

PM Modi hailed the BJP's landslide victory in the Maharashtra and Haryana elections last year.

"The country has seen how we function. We promised jobs and, as soon as our Haryana government was formed, we gave jobs as promised. In Maharashtra too we registered a historic win..." he said.

However, in a swipe at AAP, PM Modi said: "We focus on youth but some betray them. This group, during elections, promises many things but doesn't fulfil them. This group is an 'AAP-da' on youth's future..."

The reference was made to the AAP's practice of offering an array of freebies, including free water and electricity, a practice criticised by the BJP.

However, in the run-up to this Delhi election, the BJP and the Congress have come out with similar offers in their manifesto, prompting sarcastic quips from the AAP.

Meanwhile, taking on the arch-rival Congress, PM Modi said the leaders of the grand-old party only look for "photo-ops" in huts and find discussion on "poor people boring".

"In the last 10 years of (BJP rule), 25 crore people were able to overcome poverty. But, before this, for decades we heard 'garibi hatao' slogans, but couldn't do it..." he said, "We didn't give slogans to the poor... we gave real development. Till now, we have given four crore houses to the poor."

"We have done so much for the poor... the President spoke about it at length in her speech. But those who do 'photo ops' in huts... they will find discussion on poor people boring," he said referring to Sonia Gandhi's remark of 'poor thing' when she was talking about Droupadi Murmu's speech in Parliament.

The Prime Minister also fired a barb at one of his predecessors - the late Congress PM Rajiv Gandhi, who was sometimes referred to as 'Mr. Clean' - declaring he had admitted that for every Re 1 of aid meant for the poor, they received only 25 paise or less.

Modi claimed that in his administration, the poor were direct beneficiaries, saying, "We deposited Rs 40 lakh crore directly."

In a wide-ranging speech targeting all of the ruling BJP's major rivals, PM Modi also reminded the House, and especially Delhi's voters of all the big-ticket announcements in the Union Budget last week.

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