In a spirited reply to the Congress’s critique, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asserted that his government, having completed 10 years at the Centre, would remain in power for at least 20 more years. The remark came as a witty retort to the Congress’s label of Modi’s administration as a “one-third government.”
“Some people are calling ours a one-third government. It’s true. We have completed one-third of our term and two-thirds of it remains,” PM Modi said in the Rajya Sabha, addressing the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.
In the recent elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 240 seats, falling 32 seats short of a majority. However, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the BJP, achieved a comfortable majority with 293 seats, ensuring a historic third term for PM Modi. The Congress and its allies improved their performance compared to the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Despite this, the Congress claims a “moral victory,” emphasizing that the BJP did not receive an overwhelming majority for the third consecutive time. The Opposition highlights the BJP’s reliance on allies such as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), which won 12 seats, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, which secured 16 seats. Consequently, the Congress has dubbed Modi’s administration as a “one-third government.”
PM Modi, in his speech, underscored the rarity of securing a third term after 60 years, noting, “There was an attempt to blackout this historic victory, but I can see in the last couple of days, the defeat is being accepted by them. People of this country defeated propaganda and chose performance.”
On Tuesday, PM Modi delivered a fiery address in the Lok Sabha, targeting the Congress party and its leader, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the House in the Lower House. PM Modi urged the Congress to accept the election results and introspect rather than claiming a moral victory. Throughout his speech, he used data, humor, and stern warnings against what he described as the Congress’s attempts to spread “anarchy” and misinformation.
