Congress cannot shed its arrogance despite defeats, changed definition of poverty: PM Modi

New Delhi [India], February 7 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked Congress over its claims of bringing crores of people out of poverty during the UPA rule and said that the poor had reduced the party to 44 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
In his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister said despite suffering repeated defeats in several states, "Congress is unable to shed its arrogance".
He referred to Congress claims of bringing people out of poverty and accused it of changing the "definition of poverty".
The Prime Minister said Congress had been winning elections on slogan of 'garibi hatao' since 1971 but "garibi hati nahi, garibon ne Congress ko hata diya (poverty did not end, the poor voted Congress out)," he said.
"The Congress changed the definition of poverty. In 2013, using pen on paper, 17 crore people were made rich. They changed norms and said 17 crore will not be counted poor. They worked by changing statistics," he said.
The Prime Minister referred to the speech of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in which he had said that the party-led UPA government had brought 27 crore people out of poverty. "Big statistics were given," the Prime Minister said.
He took a dig at Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury who was making repeated interruptions. PM Modi said he can assure Chowdhury that he will not be removed as leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha in this session. The Prime Minister also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi without naming him, saying that others in the party were bearing the brunt of his remarks.
The Prime Minister said that the BJP government takes the problem of inflation seriously and was taking measures against it. He said the rate of inflation in several OECD countries was around 7 per cent.
He said if BJP loses an election, the "ecosystem thoroughly scrutinises it," he said.
"Even after so many defeats neither your (Congress) arrogance gone nor has your ecosystem has allowed you to shed your arrogance," said PM Modi.
He said states which have taken the "right path" are not allowing Congress "to enter".
He said if Opposition parties "were connected to the ground", they would have seen the impact of the schemes and initiatives of the government on the lives of people.
"For many, the needle is stuck in 2014. They cannot get out of it. You have paid for it. The people of the country have understood you," he said.
The Prime Minister quoted former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government.
He said Congress complains that he does not take Nehru's name. "Today I will keep saying Nehruji," he said.
Referring to Nehru's speech from the Red Fort, PM Modi had said India's first prime minister had "thrown up his arms" on tackling inflation.
"Pandit Nehru had said that the Korean war caused inflation. He had said that any disturbance in America also caused inflation. He also gave up on inflation," PM Modi said. (ANI)