Few people doing self-goals: PM's dig at Opposition

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Opposition is trying to score self-goals, accusing it of stalling Parliament while the rest of the country is keen to march ahead. 

"On one hand, our country is scoring goal after goal of victory, and on the other, some people, due to political self-interest, are doing things which make it seem that they are scoring self-goals," he said, attacking the Opposition for disrupting Parliament over the Pegasus spyware row.

Modi was interacting with beneficiaries of the Centre's food security scheme in Uttar Pradesh through video conference as the state observed the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana Day.

In his televised address, he recalled other events that have taken place on this date – the revocation of Article 370 two years ago, the "bhumi poojan” for the Ram temple in Ayodhya last year and India's hockey win at the Olympics this time.

Targeting opposition parties, he said, “They are not concerned about what the country wants, what it is achieving or how it is changing. They are continuously insulting Parliament of India for their self-interest."

Modi praised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying he isn't just a ‘yogi” but a ‘karmayogi' -- a man of action.

While very citizen is working hard to get out of the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced, the opposition parties are competing to stop work that is in the interest of the country, he charged.

"The great people of this country cannot become hostage to such selfish and anti-national politics. No matter how much these people try to stop the development of the country, this country is not going to stop,” he said.

“They are engaged in stopping the proceedings of Parliament but 130 crore people are engaged in not allowing them to stop the country."

"Bharat chall pada hai (India is on the move)," he said.

Without naming the parties, he accused them of "using" Uttar Pradesh for their family and political interests.

"This state was not linked with the economic progress of India. Some families did progress. These people did not enrich UP but themselves," he said.

He said the path to power in Delhi goes through UP, but so does the way to the country's prosperity.

The prime minister launched an awareness programme in the state on the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a scheme which has provided free foodgrain to the poor across the country during the worst months of the Covid pandemic.

He charged that during the terms of the earlier governments, the foodgrain meant for the poor was “looted”.

The PM said the country is progressing rapidly on every front now, facing all challenges.

He listed India's performance at the Olympics, the recently achieved 50-crore Covid vaccination mark, GST collection figures, agricultural exports, the e-RUPI initiative and the launch of trials of indigenously built aircraft carrier Vikrant.

"Those who are worried only for their position can't stop India now. The new India is after 'padak' (medals) and not 'pad' (posts). Hard work and not the family will be the way to progress in New India."

Referring to the pandemic, he said in the past when such big crises hit the country all systems broke down and the people's faith was shaken. But today every citizen of India is fighting this pandemic with full force, he added.

The prime minister said India did not let big infrastructure projects stop during the pandemic. In Uttar Pradesh, expressway projects and work on a defence production corridor made progress.

He interacted with beneficiaries of the scheme present at select fair price shops in Varanasi, Sultanpur, Kushinagar, Saharanpur and Jhansi during the session.

Nearly 80,000 fair price shops in UP have been distributing foodgrain to the beneficiaries, an official statement said.