PM Modi Mocks Congress, Cites Mamata's Prediction on Lok Sabha Seats

Prime Minister Narendra Modi poked fun at the Congress's chances of winning the next general elections on Wednesday by citing a statement made by Mamata Banerjee, the head of Trinamul.

Modi said that the "message has come from Bengal" that the Congress will not pass the total of 40 members in the next Lok Sabha, omitting Mamata's name. He was discussing the motion of gratitude for the President's address to the two houses.

In response to the CPM's participation on Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo caravan in Bengal last week, Mamata may have been irritated and predicted that the Congress would not win 40 seats. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, she had challenged the Congress to defeat the BJP.

"I've expressed a request. West Bengal has challenged the Congress, claiming that they are unable to surpass 40. I hope you are able to hold onto 40. This party's ideas have grown out of date," Modi said.

Modi also made fun of Rahul, saying, "The Prince has been given a start-up by them (the Congress)." However, he is not a contender.

Earlier, Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, criticized the Modi government for privatizing public sector enterprises and for the BJP's "Abki baar 400 paar" slogan, which denies reservation to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"I would especially want to thank Mallikarjun Khargeji. I was overjoyed. Khargeji spoke for a while. How did he manage to obtain so much freedom, I wondered? Normally present, two special commanders were not there on that particular day. Modi said, "One thing was very pleasant as he blessed the NDA with 400 seats."

At this Kharge objected violently. However, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar silenced him.

The Congress, according to Modi, was ready to ignore him, but his voice could not be silenced as "it is a voice backed by the people."

In response to Kharge, the prime minister said that representatives of socially disadvantaged classes were not respected by the Congress. He said that due of Article 370, the SC, ST, and OBC residents of Jammu and Kashmir were not eligible for quota privileges. Additionally, he said that there are currently 254 PSUs operating in the nation during his administration, up from 234 in 2014. The Congress, he claimed, had "continued with the colonial legacy and promoted a culture of devaluing India's indigenous culture."

After Modi's address, members of Congress left the Upper House.