'Nehru thought Indians are lazy': Modi refers to former PM's I-day speech while blasting Congress

New Delhi, Feb 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his reply to Motion of Thanks on President’s Address in Lok Sabha on Monday, named two former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and called out ‘inadequacies’ of the chair that they held.

Mocking the Opposition for a lackluster performance in an election year in Lok Sabha, PM Modi touched upon statements of two former Congress Prime Ministers to point out their ‘lack of faith’ in their own citizens.

Recalling former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s Independence speech in 1959, he said: “Nehru had said from Red Fort that Indians don't have a habit of working hard. He said that we Indians don't work as hard as those in Europe, Japan, China, Russia and the US. Nehru thought that Indians are lazy,” PM Modi said.

"Nehru thought that Indians were lazy and less intelligent," PM Modi said, amid slogan-shouting and angry protests by Congress parliamentarians.

PM Modi also stated how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi mentioned once that Indians ‘run away’ from difficulties and obstacles.

Reading a quote of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from ramparts of Red Fort on I-Day, he said: “Unfortunately, our habit is that when some auspicious work is about to be completed, we become complacent, when any difficulty comes, we become hopeless, sometimes it seems that the entire nation has failed. It seems like we have adopted the feeling of defeat.”

Lambasting the Congress leadership for prioritising ‘one family over everything’, PM Modi said that the grand old party never trusted the countrymen and its capability.

PM Modi -- addressing the last session of Lok Sabha -- started his speech by training guns at the Congress for fostering ‘parivaarvad culture’ at the cost of its top leaders.

He said that Congress was ‘launching & re-launching’ one particular leader despite its repeated failures and never felt the need for introspection.

He also held the Opposition parties responsible for their current state of affairs and said that despite this being an election year they couldn’t set their house in order.