Taking a jibe at former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his successor Narendra Modi on Wednesday said only “Doctor sahab knew the art of bathing with a rain coat on,” irking the Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha who staged a walkout in protest.
Modi made the comment while responding to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address.
The remarks created a huge uproar in the Congress benches in Rajya Sabha and ended with MPs from the party staging a walk out from the House.
Speaking on the issue of demonetisation, Modi referred to Manmohan Singh’s speech in the Winter Session when he had slammed the move to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes as an “organised loot and legalised plunder”. Modi said that the former PM was an economist who has been at the helm of economic affairs in the country for around 30-35 years and wielded immense influence in all matters of the economy.
"For the last 30-35 years, he has been directly involved with India's economic affairs in a decisive capacity... There might not be another person, in 70 years post Independence, he has been at the helm of affairs for half of the time," Modi said.
"There is a lot for us politicians to learn... so much happened but he did not get even a taint. Only Doctor Sahab (Manmohan Singh) knows the art of bathing wearing a rain coat," he said in a jibe, resulting to a huge uproar from Congress benches.
As Congress members protested, Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said: "The Prime Minister has been called Hitler and Mussolini... Don't preach us."
As Congress members created uproar and staged a walkout, an angry Modi said, "if you cross the limits of decorum, then you should have courage to listen to the response. We have the capacity to pay in the same coin. We do so within the limits of decorum and boundaries of the Constitution. They (Congress) don't want to accept the defeat in any form. How long will it continue?"
He went on to add, "the person who held such a high post, used the words 'loot' and 'plunder' in the House. Then they (Congress) also should have thought 50 times (before using those words)."
Singh was the Prime Minister for 10 years and headed UPA-I and UPA-II governments. Singh, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the last Winter Session, had castigated the Prime Minister over demonetisation, saying its implementation was a "monumental management failure" and a case of "organised loot and legalised plunder."
Responding to those comments today, Modi also took a swipe at Singh using the pretext of a book.
"Manmohan Singh ji had delivered a speech here... Recently a book was released in which Manmohan Singh ji had written the Foreword.
Initially, I thought he is a renowned economist and it (the book) will have his contribution. But then I realised that the book was written by somebody else and he had only written the Foreword. In his speech also, I felt the same," the Prime Minister said.
This triggered an uproar from the Congress members. To this, Modi took a dig, saying, "the word I did not even utter, that too they (Congress members) have understood."
As Congress members shouted slogans, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu took strong objection, questioning why the opposition members were so agitated when terms like "Hitler" were used against Modi in the same House.
"I request you to go through the records. Prime Minister was called Hitler. Prime Minister was called Mussolini," Naidu said.
The Prime Minister, whose speech was interrupted a number of times due to opposition uproar, also took on the Congress for quoting economists to denounce demonetisation.
"You are quoting economists. If you quote 10, I can quote 20. Economists have never seen such a step anywhere in the world as this has happened for the first time... In fact, this can become a case study for them," he said.
The Prime Minister also asserted that the fight against black money is not a political one or against any party.
Modi, in his over one-hour speech, focussed his attack on Congress and other opposition parties for criticising the demonetisation decision and his push for cash-less economy.
He also slammed the Congress for finding faults with lack of proper infrastructure in the country, saying by doing so, they were only presenting their "report card" of 70-year rule.
Taking on Congress at another point, Modi quoted a book authored by former Home Secretary Madhav Godbole, which he said, contained criticism of Indira Gandhi for not undertaking demonetisation in 1971 when there was an opportunity.
This evoked an uproar from Congress benches. At this, Modi took a dig at them, saying, "you should have shown behaviour when the book was published. What were you doing when it was published? Were you sleeping all this while? When such allegations were levelled, why were you silent? Had I been in your place I would have filed a case against Godbole."
The Prime Minister said while 125 crore countrymen are making efforts to come out of "inner malaise" of black money and corruption, Congress and other opposition parties are standing against it.
Defending his demonetisation decision announced on November 8 last year, he said, "to fight against black money and corruption is not a political fight. It is not to harass any political. It is the responsibility of everyone to fight against it... We did what our wisdom suggested."
He said the maximum impact of black money is on the poor who have been exploited.
"There is need for more efforts (to fight black money). How long will we keep it brushing under the carpet? Even if this attempt is to be taken forward, it will be taken," he said.
"We need to fight as one. Honest person will not get strengthened, till the dishonest are not dealt with strongly.... The ultimate benefit of these steps is going to be to the poor," he said.
Modi said he did not mean to say that attempts would not have been made earlier.
On contention by opposition members that people were facing hardships because of demonetistion, the Prime Minister said there will be "problems while finding a way out of vices".
"There is a horizontal divide in the country...The public sentiment is on one side, while the sentiments of leaders is on the other side. They are cut-off from the public sentiment," he said, attacking the opposition.
"Usually government and public are face-to-face on issues but this is such a decision where government and people are together. Some people are on the other side...You may have faced problems," Modi said.
Here are highlights of PM Modi's speech in the Rajya Sabha:
* PM Modi concludes speech in Rajya Sabha
* Sheher tumhara,qaatil tum, shahid tum, haakim tum, mujhe yaqeen hai ki mera hi kasoor niklega: PM Modi
* Sanitation coverage in the rural areas has increased. Cleanliness should become a people's movement and we should continue working in that direction: PM
* I want to congratulate the media, they have furthered the message of Swachh Bharat and created so much awareness: PM
* Yahan Swachhta Abhiyaan ka mazak udaya ja raha tha. Aaj Mahatma Gandhi ji hote to aap swachta pe yahi bhasha bolte?: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha
* Former RBI Governor D Subbarao has leveled allegations against former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his book 'Who Moved My Interest Rate': PM Modi
* Let us keep institutions above politics: PM
* Attacks on the party I belong to, our government, on me are understandable but why was the RBI dragged into this. It was not required: PM
* Our effort should be in the direction to fulfil the small aspirations of society: Modi
* Anand Sharma ji was asking why are you spending crores on Digital tech. Not a single extra penny was spent in development of BHIM app: PM
* In the last 70 years, my contribution is only 2.5 years: PM Modi
* There was so much said about what is wrong with the nation and why digital economy can not be implemented...perhaps they were giving a report card of their own record: PM Modi
* PM Modi quotes former Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Jyotirmoy Basu's 1972 speech supporting demonetisation
* Kabhi bhi haar sweekar na karna ye kab tak chalega?: PM Modi in Rajya Sabha
* Congress MPs stage a walkout in Rajya Sabha over PM Modi's remarks on former PM Manmohan Singh
* Bathroom mein raincoat pahan ke nahana, ye kala to doctor sahab hi jante hain aur koi nahi janta (Only Doctor Sahab (Manmohan Singh) knows the art of bathing wearing a rain coat): PM Modi
* There have been so many instances of corruption but there is no stain on Dr Manmohan Singh: PM Modi
* Dr Manmohan Singh has been involved with the economic decisions take in this country for last 30-35 years: Modi
* On the issue of demonetisation, there is a horizontal divide- on one side are the people of India & Government and on the other side are a group of political leaders: PM
* Worlds' economists don't know parameters to assess it. What India did will be a case study for economists worldwide: PM in RS
* There is no parallel to our demonetisation drive, this could be a lesson to world's economists: PM Modi
* You quote foreign economists,I can quote 10 of them on the fact that such an action hasn't been taken in the world ever: PM on demonetisation
* About 700 Maoists surrendered after demonetisation and this number is increasing. Shouldn't this make us happy: PM
* You are showing so much zeal, why were you quiet till now? Why did you not sue Madhav Godbole?: PM Modi to Anand Sharma in RS
* Former bureaucrat Madhav Godbole in a book wrote that in 1971 Indira Gandhi ji was advised by then FM to demonetise, but she rejected idea saying that she had to contest elections: PM
* Poor people will be empowered when we take strict action against corrupts: Modi
* Some people are jumping to say that new Rs 2000 notes were recovered from terrorists. Banks in J&K were looted and when terrorists were killed after that, those notes were recovered: PM Modi
* Corruption has adversely impacted the aspirations of the poor and the middle class: PM
* The fight against corruption and black money is not a political fight. It is not to single out any particular party: PM
