Tue Feb 04 13:38:27 UTC 2025: ## Modi Launches Scathing Attack on Opposition in Parliament

**New Delhi, India** – Prime Minister Narendra Modi unleashed a fierce attack on the opposition, particularly the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, during his response to a parliamentary discussion on President Droupadi Murmu’s address. With Delhi Assembly elections looming, Modi directly targeted AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of lavish spending on his official residence, allegedly using ₹45 crore of taxpayer money on luxury fittings. He contrasted this with his government’s efforts to provide tap water to 12 crore families.

Modi also criticized AAP for broken election promises, citing the BJP’s performance in Haryana as a counterpoint. He highlighted the BJP’s recent electoral victories in Maharashtra and Haryana, emphasizing their commitment to job creation and contrasting it with what he termed AAP’s betrayal of the youth. The BJP’s own offers of freebies, mirroring those of AAP and Congress, were not addressed directly in his speech.

The Prime Minister further attacked the Congress, mocking their “garibi hatao” (eradicate poverty) slogan and highlighting the BJP’s claims of lifting 25 crore people out of poverty in the last 10 years. He contrasted the BJP’s direct benefit transfers of ₹40 lakh crore to the poor with what he described as Congress’s inefficient aid distribution, referencing a statement attributed to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Modi also took a swipe at both AAP and Congress for their campaigning strategies in Delhi’s poorer areas, calling them mere “photo ops.” He further capitalized on the recent Union Budget, highlighting the tax relief for the middle class, with no income tax on income up to ₹12 lakh.

In a final jab, Modi suggested opposition MPs read “JFK’s Forgotten Crises” by Bruce Riedel, seemingly in response to criticism of the government’s handling of the India-China border dispute, following questions raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. The speech was punctuated by opposition protests and enthusiastic support from BJP MPs.

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