Modi hurls ‘balak buddhi’ barb at Rahul, asserts mandate for stability, continuity

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday mounted a stinging counterattack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi as he mocked him as ‘balak buddhi’ (childish mind), accused him of linking Hindus with violence and making false claims in Lok Sabha, and sought stringent action against him to protect parliamentary democracy.

Replying to a nearly 18-hour-long discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in the Lower House, Modi said the Congress and its “ecosystem” are working day and night to impress upon people that the BJP-led NDA has been defeated in the elections despite voters handing his government a historic third-term for stability and continuity.

“I will tell Congress leaders to not suppress people’s mandate under the garb of fake victory celebrations,” he said and added the opposition party was behaving as if it had won 99 out 100 seats and not out of 543, the actual strength of the House. The Congress turned into a “parasitic party” in these polls, feeding off its partners’ votes to boost its tally, he said.