India emerged stronger despite pandemic: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Bharatiya Janata Party MPs on Tuesday that despite facing odds such as tension at borders, cyclones and earthquakes during the coronavirus pandemic, India emerged stronger and the entire world realised its potential, said Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting, Modi said he relished all these challenges during the pandemic and the country also overcame them.

"Sharing his experiences of the pandemic, Modi told MPs that during the period, the country was not only facing the challenge of the virus, but on others fronts as well. There were tensions on the LAC, cyclones, earthquakes and then there was locust swarm attack but despite all these odds, India emerged stronger and the entire world realised its potential," he said.

Meghwal said the prime minister also mentioned that he has been holding public office for more than two decades, first as the chief minister of a state and now as the prime minister, and he has never taken a day off.

Besides Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also addressed the BJP parliamentary party meeting.

Jaishankar asserted that India's stature rose in the world during the pandemic because of its medical diplomacy of providing antibiotics and testing kits to other nations earlier and for its vaccine diplomacy later, Meghwal said.

The external affairs minister also shared details of the Centre's Vande Bharat mission of bringing back stranded Indians from abroad, Meghwal said.

Giving a presentation on the Union Budget to the party MPs, Sitharman emphasised that despite the economic impact of coronavirus pandemic the government did not impose any additional tax on the public and came with a comprehensive budget for all, Meghwal said.

The prime minister also emphasised on the need for MPs to regularly attend Parliament, sources said.

Modi also cited the panchayat elections in Pali, the constituency of BJP MP PP Chaudhary, saying the party won more than 90 per cent seats amid protests on farm laws as he and the party clearly put forward the benefits of these laws to the people and sought votes, the sources said.

He also underlined to party MPs that the government's intent behind bringing these farm laws is good and those who are opposing it now will applaud these legislations later, they said.