PM: I wear 140 cr Indians' trust as my shield, lies can't breach it

However, Modi avoids mentioning Adani in speech, no promise of JPC or SC-led probe

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday the trust reposed in him by crores of people was his protective shield against the "lies, allegations and abuses" of his critics, as he launched a stinging counterattack on the Opposition over its bid to target him over the AdaniHindenburg issue.  

Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha, Modi 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. Modi said 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.

The trust of global institutions in India is due to the presence of a stable and decisive government, he stressed. This gover nment has the strength to take decisions in national interest and carries out reforms not out of compulsion but conviction, he said.

"But some people who are neck deep in frustration cannot see India's growth story. They cannot see the achievements of 140 crore Indians," he said, targeting the Opposition. They failed when they were in power and they have failed in the opposition as well, he said in a swipe at the Congress which led by Rahul Gandhi has been unsparing in attacking the government over the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

While he values criticism as a purification exercise for democracy but "compulsive criticism" has replaced constructive criticism in the last nine years, the prime minister said, claiming that some people have been nursing this "misconception" for 22 years that they can rise by "abusing" him.

While opposition parties could not come together despite frequent election losses, they have now joined hands after the Enforcement Directorate's action in corruption cases, he claimed. "They should thank the ED. It brought them together, something voters could not do," he said.

Opposition parties have accused the investigation agency of working as a government instrument to target the BJP's rivals. He said the Opposition had wasted the last nine years in levelling baseless allegations instead of indulging in constructive criticism