'Jitna Keechad Uchaloge, Kamal Utna hi Zyada Khilega': PM Modi's dig at Opposition

PM Narendra Modi was replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha amid slogan shouting by MPs from various opposition parties.

New Delhi: Continuing his counter-attack against the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (February 9, 2023) said that the more "keechad" (dirt) they will fling, the bigger "kamal" (lotus) will bloom. Lotus, notably, is the party symbol of PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in the Rajya Sabha amid slogan shouting by MPs from various opposition parties, Modi accused the Congress of adopting only "tokenism" to solve problems the country faced.

"Keechad unke pass tha, mere pass gulaal. Jo jis ke pass tha, usne diya uchal," he quoted poet Manik Verma's poem in response to the allegations opposition parties levelled on him and his government related to industrialist Gautam Adani.

"Jitna keechad uchaloge, kamal utna hi zyada khilega," he added as opposition MPs kept shouting slogans linking him to Adani and seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe into allegations levelled by the US short-seller Hindenburg Research.

"Some people's behaviour and language are disappointing not just for the House but for the country," he said, in an apparent reference to TMC MP Mahua Moitra using an objectionable word in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In his reply, PM Modi also recounted the achievements of his governments - from eliminating waiting for getting cooking gas to opening bank accounts for everyone and providing electricity connections.

The effort was to create a brighter future and not look at political gains, he said.

Addressing the Rajya Sabha. https://t.co/XO3F8kfkfY

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 9, 2023

"Country is with us... People have rejected the Congress party and punished them from time to time," Modi said.

"Congress party's economic, social and political policies were based on vote bank politics," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Modi had launched a stinging counterattack on the Opposition while replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha. 

He said he had spent every moment of his life working for the nation and contrasted the "lost decade" of the Congress-led UPA rule with the advent of "India's decade" under his government.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha. https://t.co/Ikh7uniQoi

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 8, 2023

In his nearly 85-minute speech, Modi had also said that the world was looking at India with hope and positivity amid instability in many parts of the globe due to the once-in-a-century pandemic in Covid-19 and conflicts.