I am new, you are experienced

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday fell back on statements that Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had made in the distant past, while opposing disruptions in Parliament, only to drive home the point that the Congress has been unnecessarily stalling the current proceedings of the House and blocking various Bills in the Upper House.

In the same breath, Modi, four-time former Chief Minister of Gujarat, extended an olive branch to the Opposition, saying he needed their support for "improvement" in his government. He deplored the 'tu tu, mai mai' (blame game) of political parties for "scoring points", saying the officialdom would have rejoiced this even as the nation suffered. "This government also needs improvement, which cannot happen without your help. I am new, you are experienced.

I need the benefit of your experience. Governments will come and go. Let us work shoulder-to- shoulder," Modi observed. In his 75-minute speech, Modi, however, did not respond to certain specific issues raised by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders, like his recent unscheduled visit to Pakistan, flip-flop on black money as well as the inept handling of JNU issue and Dalit student Rohith Vemula's suicide.

Alluding to Rahul’s caustic remarks on Wednesday, Modi merely said, "It is easy to preach others...There are some people to whom all kinds of questions are asked. But there are some others whom nobody dares to ask question. Some people have grown in age, but are not matured enough.” On frequent disruptions, the Prime Minister said because of the will of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, some bills were passed in the Lok Sabha, but those could not move ahead, suggesting that they got stuck in the Rajya Sabha.

Identifying some pieces of legislation, he said that the Whistleblowers Protection (Amendment) Bill was meant for enlightening citizens and "I see no reason why it is stopped." With regard to GST, aimed at overhauling the taxation system in the country, Modi told the Congress, "It (bill) is yours only, still it is being stopped." Referring to the opposition’s attempts to "halt" development of the country, he cited a statement made by Indira Gandhi in 1974 in which she had wondered as to why some people try to portray India as if the nation was always standing with a begging bowl.

Using subtle wit and barbs, Modi responded to the attack by Congress over various initiatives of his government, including 'Make in India' and MNREGA. He said that a democratic country like India could not be left at the mercy of the bureaucracy, and recalled how he had underlined the importance of the Legislature, saying that every MP, regardless of the party to which he belonged, should be treated like ‘Prime Minister’. "I have been questioned; I have faced criticism and accusations over the last 14 years.

I have learnt to live with it," said Modi, apparently referring to the attacks on him in the aftermath of the Gujarat riots of 2002. Highlighting the need to respect age and experience, Modi sarcastically recalled how the Congress vice president had torn (at a press conference), an Ordinance approved by the Cabinet headed by Manmohan Singh and including veterans like A K Antony, Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah.

Taking Rahul at his word on 'Make in India' initiative, he said: "You are mocking at 'Make in India'? If it is not successful, you should suggest what should be done to make it successful," he said. Adverting to the Bangladesh border dispute, which was settled after four decades, he told Congress benches, "You can say that 'if we had settled it, how would you do it'. You may say that 'We left it for you to do'."

He said that 18,000 villages were in darkness due to unsettled boundary even so many years after Independence and this was the Congress' "gift" which "we do not deny". Modi blamed the Congress leadership for gagging its young and bright leaders out of fear that emerging leaders could overshadow Rahul. "In the Opposition there are bright and talented youngsters who don't get a chance to speak...They do a lot of study...The concern is that if they speak, they will be praised.

Then what will happen to us," Modi said. Responding to contention of the Congress that MNREGA was the baby of the previous UPA government and that the NDA regime had repackaged and usurped it, Modi dwelt on its history and said that Maharashtra initiated such a programme in 1972. He said such schemes for the poor had been going on for decades under various names and in different versions and that once Jawaharlal Nehru's name was "removed by same party which curses us".

Modi extends an ‘olive branch’. In the Opposition there are bright and talented youngsters who don't get a chance to speak... They do a lot of study... The concern is that if they speak, they will be praised. Then what will happen to us.