Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told BJP MPs that despite very challenging times, like the COVID-19 pandemic, cyclones, earthquakes and tensions at the India-China border, the country had emerged stronger, with the world also acknowledging this fact. He was addressing a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party, where he also touched upon the controversial farm laws.
During the meeting, Mr. Modi cited the party’s good performance in panchayat polls, where the “good intentions” behind the farm laws were were clearly communicated to the people, and said it was a reason for remaining firm on them. He made a specific reference to the panchayat polls in Pali in Rajasthan, the Lok Sabha constituency of former Union Minister P.P. Chaudhary, as an example. BJP had won more than 90% of the seats in the panchayat polls in Pali, which had taken place amid protests on the farm laws.
“Sharing his experiences of corona pandemic, Prime Minister Modi also told MPs that during that period, the country was not only facing the challenge of the virus, but on others fronts as well as there were tensions on 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,” Minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said at a media briefing after the meeting.
Mr. Meghwal said Mr. Modi also mentioned that he has been holding public office earlier as the chief minister of a State and now Prime Minister for more than two decades without an off day.
Besides the Prime Minister, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also addressed the meeting.
Mr. Jaishankar emphasised that India’s stature rose in the world during the pandemic for its medical diplomacy — first in providing antibiotics and testing kits and later for its vaccine diplomacy, Mr. Meghwal said.
The Minister also gave details of the Vande Bharat mission carried out by the Centre bringing back Indians stranded abroad, Mr. Meghwal added.
Giving a presentation on the Union Budget, Ms. Sitharman emphasised that despite the economic impact of the pandemic, the government did not impose any additional tax on the public and came with a comprehensive budget for all, Mr. Meghwal said.
