The world seeing ‘Bharat rate of growth’, says PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi blasted the previous Congress governments on Thursday for “shackling” India’s economy with their “licence permit raj,” on a day when terms like “handcuffing” and “shackling” were frequently used in Parliament.

The prime minister claimed that the term “Hindu rate of growth” was created by economists to characterize the nation’s economic development under the Congress regimes, which turned into a source of shame for a whole society due to the financial malfeasance committed by “one family.” According to Modi, the globe is currently seeing the “Bharat rate of growth,” with India emerging as the largest economy with the quickest rate of growth.

The Prime Minister stated in his response to the Rajya Sabha’s Motion of Thanks on the President’s speech that his administration is dedicated to bolstering the middle class and neo-middle class, and that the Budget has lowered income tax to “zero” on income up to Rs 12 lakh in order to achieve this goal. The tax slabs would be loosened, and the tax-free income level under Section 87A of the Income Tax Act will be raised from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, according to the Union Budget 2025–26, which was unveiled on February 1.

Modi criticized the excesses of the Congress administration during the Emergency, claiming that it had “handcuffed” and “chained” politicians, including members of Parliament at the time, notably George Fernandes. Opposition MPs objected throughout the day to the shackling and handcuffing of 104 Indians who had been deported from the United States and had arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday.

The prime minister said that the Congress harbored “hatred and anger” for B R Ambedkar, which was evident in their refusal to award the man who drafted the Indian Constitution with the “Bharat Ratna.” He claimed that the Congress is now compelled to recite “Jai Bhim” and is choking while they do so. According to Modi, Ambedkar was right when he concluded that industrialization was the only way to help Dalits, who do not now possess land and are unlikely to do so even if they did. However, the manufacturing sector suffered as a result of the Congress administrations’ policies.

Modi said those opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) should study the Constitution. “Some may wonder what this UCC is all about. But, after reading the debates of the Constituent Assembly, one would realise that it is in that same spirit,” he said.

“I say it with a lot of pride… For five-to-six decades, there was no alternative model for the people. After a long time, after 2014, the country got to witness a new model, which is not based on appeasement (tushtikaran) but on ‘santushtikaran’ (satisfaction of all),” he said. The PM criticised the attempts being made “to spread the poison of casteism”.

He also mentioned in his speech that actor Balraj Sahni and poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri had been arrested during Congress regimes for taking part in protests, and that veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar’s brother had been barred from All India Radio for wanting to perform a song in honor of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.