From Bharat Ratna for BR Ambedkar to Congress' dynastic politics, top 5 quotes from PM Modi's RS speech

Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the Upper House of the Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took several jabs at Congress.

He also spoke extensively about caste politics and the agenda of development against appeasement.

Here are top five quotes from the PM’s fiery speech in the Rajya Sabha:

2. On Congress’ treatment of BR Ambedkar: PM Modi claimed “There was a time when Congress had a lot of hatred against Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar…Congress left no stone to ensure that Babasaheb gets defeated in elections.” He further attacked Congress leaders saying that their government did not give him Bharat Ratna, and that today, when they are forced to say ‘Jai Bhim’, their faces “dry up”.

3. On NDA’s third consecutive term: “After 2014, we were given the chance to serve the country… the nation has given us the chance for the third consecutive term," PM Modi said, adding that India is a vibrant democracy with free media and freedom to say things. “The reason for this is that the citizens of the country have trusted our model of development.”

4. On politics over caste, OBC commission: PM Modi claimed that “For three decades, OBC MPs of both Houses from all parties kept demanding a commission for OBCs but it was rejected because, perhaps, it did not suit its politics at that time. We gave constitutional status to this OBC commission,” he said.

5. On dynastic politics, nepotism in Congress: PM Modi called the Congress model “a mixture of lies, cheating, appeasement and nepotism.” He said that “Congress party’s priority is ‘family first’ and its policies revolve around nepotism…their policy, their methods, their speech and their actions are all centred around that one thing.”

6. On language of naxals: Taking another jibe at the opposition, PM Modi said that some individuals were speaking “the language of urban naxals” these days. He added, “To resist the Indian state is the language of naxals. Those who speak this language can understand neither the constitution nor national unity.”

With inputs from agencies