In Last Speech to LS Before Polls, PM Modi Singles Out Rahul’s ‘Earthquake’ Jab and ‘Hug’ For Special Mention

Modi’s last speech in Parliament was bitter sweet, not much unlike his tenure as Prime Minister

New Delhi, Feb 13: In his last address to the Lok Sabha as the country readies for the general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took potshots at the Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s claim in 2016 that if he were given 15 minutes to speak on Rafale he would cause an earthquake in Parliament,  Modi said that his government had completed full five years despite threats of an ‘earthquake’ …“Hum sunte the bhukamp aayega…lekin paanch saal ke karyakaal mein to koi bhukamp nahi aaya (We heard that an earthquake was on its way…but at least in our five years of governance we did not experience any earthquake),” Modi said.

Rahul Gandhi, who was not present in the Lok Sabha, where Modi was delivering his speech, remained the main focus of Modi’s speech. The PM recounted all he learnt as the first time Parliamentarian over the last five years. “Is sadan mein pehli baar pata chala ki gale padna aur gale milne mein kya antar hai (First time I understood the difference between throwing oneself at someone and an embrace),” PM said.

This was an obvious reference to Rahul Gandhi walking up to Modi in the Lok Sabha and embracing him, on a day when Rafale was being debated in Parliament, after delivering a passionate speech about Congress’ ideology of ‘combating hatred with love’.

The flavour, so to speak, of Modi’s last speech in Parliament, for this term, was bitter sweet, much like his tenure as prime Minister since 2014. As the Lok Sabha session draws to a close, the political parties will now throw themselves into preparations for the 2019 polls due in a few months.