Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the mob lynching in Jharkhand, emphasising that the accused should be brought to law, in his reply to the 'Motion Of Thanks On the President's Address' in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, June 26.
The PM spoke on various crucial issues including the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak in Bihar and the water crisis throughout the country.
He also attacked the Opposition and said that the Congress has not been able to digest their loss. "They have not been able to accept defeat. I do not consider this to be a healthy sign in a democracy," said PM Modi.
He also said that the voters are aware of all that happens in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and that they have voted keeping this in mind.
"I was saddened when some leaders said- the BJP and allies won the elections but the nation lost, democracy lost. I want to clearly say that such statements are unfortunate. Why question the wisdom of voters?" he said.
Here are the highlights of PM Modi's address in Rajya Sabha:
Speaking on the issue of Jharkhand mob lynching, PM Modi said that the whole state shouldn't be branded as a "hub of mob lynching".
"The lynching in Jharkhand has pained me. It has saddened others too. But, some people in the Rajya Sabha are calling Jharkhand a hub of lynching. Is this fair? Why are they insulting a state? None of us have the right to insult the state of Jharkhand," he said.
"It is our responsibility to protect each citizen. If we stop seeing through the political lens, we will be able to see a bright future," he added.
PM Modi said that the deaths due to Encephalitis outbreak in Bihar are saddening and embarrassing.
"We need to take the issue seriously. People should be made aware of vaccination, safety, and other health benefits. I believe that this is a sad state. Today it is one state, can happen in another state tomorrow," said PM Modi.
"The need of the hour is to strengthen Ayushman Bharat. We want our poor to get top quality and affordable treatment. I am in constant touch with the state government and I am sure we will collectively come out of this crisis soon," he added.
PM Modi said that almost 226 districts in the country are dealing with water crisis.
"Now I am trying to mobilize everyone to tackle this, how we can give priority to water in MPLAD funds. We also have to make society aware on water issues. A Jal Shakti Ministry has also been setup," he said.
On the issue of National Register of Citizens (NRC) published in July 2018, PM said that the government was only following Supreme Court's instructions. He also said that the NRC was part of accord signed by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
He also spoke about parliamentarians questioning the credibility of Electronic Voting Machine, saying that, "Parties that are represented in the Rajya Sabha have got opportunities to govern in some state or the other after elections conducted through EVMs."
"Why question EVMs today?" asked PM Modi.
"We also took time to understand the EVM. It is a technology, and must be understood and promoted. We saw that by doubting it, we were going down the wrong path. We told ourselves that that is not the way to be, and we handled it maturely. We stopped blaming others," said PM Modi.
