He speaks as if we became a republic only after 2014: Shiv Sena (UBT) criticises PM's Parliament speech

New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi selectively only spoke about the failures of the Opposition while ignoring issues such as unemployment, inflation and farmer's income.
"Saying things about Opposition, holding the Opposition responsible for everything, not speaking about his own responsibilities...Unemployment has broken records, inflation has gone up, you rendered the youth unemployed, did not double farmers' income - but there was no mention of any of this," Chaturvedi told ANI.
Chaturvedi claimed that the PM spoke about the country as if everything positive happened post 2014, when the first BJP-led government took power.
"He said as if whatever positive happened only after 2014. It became a united India only after 2014. We attained independence only after 2014. We became a republic only after 2014. The Constitution came into being only after 2014," Chaturvedi added.
She further called it an "disrespect to the founding fathers."
Hitting out that the PM also ignored the undermining of Election Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation, Directorate of Enforcement and other agencies, she said, "Foundational democracy which includes our judiciary, EC, CBI, ED, IT - he undermined their role, but there was no mention of it."
Another UBT MP, Anil Desai also echoed similar sentiment on unemployment, and inflation, saying that the PM's speech was not connected to ground reality, adding, "Ground reality is something else. Ground reality says that unemployment is rising, inflation is sky-rocketing. Do something in the sector of education, health, build infrastructure so that it benefits people."
Earlier in his speech, Prime Minister praised the new Income tax exemption announced in the Budget 2025 introduced by the Finance Ministry, saying that the government increased the Income tax exemption from Rs 2 lakh in 2013-14 to Rs 12 lakh in 2025.
The PM said, "In the last 10 years, we have enhanced savings of the middle class by reducing Income Tax. Before 2014, such 'bombs' were hurled and 'bullets' were shot, that it affected the lives of people. We gradually healed those wounds and moved forward. In 2013-2014 tax exemption was only on Rs 2 Lakh income. Today there is an Income tax exemption on Rs 12 lakh income...We healed wounds and today we have applied bandages too." (ANI)