In 90-minute speech, Modi tears into Congress, Opposition

'Those who don't have confidence in themselves, cannot trust anyone.'
'I pray to God to give you the strength to bring a no-confidence motion in 2024 also. My best wishes are with you.'
'You called the surgical strike a jumla strike? You can abuse me as much as you want. Stop insulting the jawans of India.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mocked Rahul Gandhi for his gesture to make him stand from the seat before hugging in Lok Sabha, saying it shows the Congress president's arrogance and hurry to get the PM's chair.

Replying to the motion of no-confidence against his government, Modi said only the 125 crore people of the country can decide who would sit in the prime minister's chair or who can be unseated.

"What is the hurry," Modi said, while referring to Gandhi's hand gestures when he came across to PM's chair and hugged him during the non-confidence motion debate.

Capping the over 12-hour debate marked with sharp attacks and counter-attacks between the ruling alliance and the opposition leaders, Modi asserted that some people are indulging in 'negative' politics.

RATE: Thumbs up or thumbs down to Modi's speech

"We are not doing politics of appeasement or vote bank. We have been working with 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' mantra," he said.

Dubbing the no-trust vote against his government a result of the Opposition's 'arrogance', Modi urged all parties to dismiss the move and accused the Congress of working with the mindset of 'Modi hatao' (remove Modi).

"Arrogance is behind the no confidence motion," Modi said and hit out at the Congress, saying this is not the floor test of the government but a 'force' test of the main opposition party and its so-called allies.

In a 90-minute address, Modi said the floor test was not to measure the strenght of his government, rather it was a 'force test' for the Congress and other opposition parties.

Hitting back at the opposition parties, he said the National Democratic Alliance government has done several things for the benefit of the people, but the opposition does not believe in the facts.

"We are taking steps for doubling the income of farmers by 2022," he said.

Modi said the opposition, especially the Congress does not trust the Chief Justice of India, the Election Commission and the electronic voting machines.

He said, "Those who don't have confidence in themselves, cannot trust anyone."

"I pray to God to give you the strength to bring a no-confidence motion in 2024 also. My best wishes are with you," the prime minister said, taking a dig at the Opposition.

He also targetted the Congress saying the major opposition party had brought the no-trust motion 'to spread instability in the country'.

Referring to the Dokalam stand-off, he said, 'when the whole country was united at the time of Dokalam, you met the Chinese envoy," Modi said in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi.

On Gandhi's allegations on the Rafale aircraft deal, he said, "We must abstain from making childish statements on sensitive issues."

Modi said he cannot imagine the truth can be crushed like this and the country can be misled in such a manner.

Gandhi had said the French president had clearly conveyed to him during a meeting that there was no problem in sharing details relating to the multi-billion dollar Rafale deal.

Alleging corruption in the deal, the Congress has been demanding details, including cost of equipment and weapons, but the government has refused to share them citing a secrecy pact with France.

He also termed the surgical strikes as 'jumla strikes' as an insult to the security forces.

"You called the surgical strike a jumla strike? You can abuse me as much as you want. Stop insulting the jawans of India. I will not tolerate this insult to our armed forces," the PM said.

Tearing into Rahul Gandhi's comments that he was a 'bhagidar' (collaborator) and not a 'chowkidar' (watchman), Modi said he was in fact a partner in the aspirations of the people.

He said he was neither a 'saudagar' (trader), nor a 'thekedar' (contractor) like the Congress.

The prime minister said the Congress party had misused no-confidence motions to spread instability in the country to ensure that the Gandhi family remains in power.

Mocking the Congress president, he said it is a fact that he cannot see eye-to-eye with Gandhi, saying those who dared to do it, including stalwarts like former President Pranab Mukherjee, Vallabh Bhai Patel, former PM Morarji Desai and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, had to suffer.

"You are 'naamdaar' (dynast), I am 'kaamdar' (worker). I cannot dare to see eye-to-eye with you," he told Gandhi on his remark that he cannot look in the Congress leader's eyes.

"The entire nation saw what the eyes did today. It is clear in front of everyone," he said indicating Gandhi's apparent post-hug wink.

"Had it not been your arrogance, and had you understood the problems of the states, goods and services tax would have been implemented five years ago," the prime minister said.

The prime minister condemned the incidents of rape and atrocities against women and said 'any instance of violence brings shame to the nation'.

"I will once again urge the state governments to punish those who indulge in violence," Modi said in an apparent reference to mob lynching.

Referring to gender justice, he said his government stood with the Muslim women in their quest for justice.

The prime minister blamed Congress for the division of Andhra Pradesh in a manner which had left the people there unhappy.

He said when the Telugu Desam Party decided to pull out of National Democratic Alliance, he had warned its leader N Chandrababu Naidu that his party was 'getting entangled in a race of one-upmanship with the YSR (Yuvajana, Shramika, Rythu) Congress'.

"Just because of your internal politics with the YSRCP, you are doing this, I had told the AP CM," Modi said, adding that the issue was now being raked up in Parliament.

He said his government will keep working for the people of Andhra Pradesh and 'we will do everything possible for the development of the state', he said.

"NDA government," Modi said, "is committed towards the development of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana".

He said the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

"It was done peacefully. These states are prospering ... The Congress divided Andhra Pradesh and their conduct then was shameful," he said.

"I want to tell the people of Andhra Pradesh that we will keep working for them. We will do everything possible for the development of the state," he said.

TDP member Kesineni Srinivas, who had moved the no-confidence motion, scoffed at Modi in his comments following the prime minister's response.

Srinivas, in his reply, said it felt like he was watching a great Bollywood blockbuster for one and half hour as it was full of great oratory, action and drama.

In his speech, Modi also referred to his government's efforts to get the triple talaq bill passed, saying it stood with the Muslim women in their quest for justice.

India is seeing the record pace at which roads are being built, villages are being connected, i-ways are being built, railways development is happening, he said, adding that his government has done development without any appeasement.

Taking on the opposition over its criticism of his government on employment front, he accused it of spreading baseless information and claimed that nearly one crore people have got employment in 2017-18.

Citing Employment Provident Fund figures, he said 50 lakh people have got job in the formal sector in nine months.

He said the transport business alone has created 20 lakh jobs in the informal sector.

During the voting on the motion, Bhola Singh of the BJP was brought to the House on a strecher, while K C Patel, also BJP, was brought in a wheel chair.