New Delhi, February 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressed the Lok Sabha on President's motion of thanks and said that this government is known for its honesty and transparency. The PM took a jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi's "chowkidar chor hai" comment and paraphrased an old-saying in India which goes as: "Ulta chor, chowkidar ko daante". (One who robs himself blames the watchman). Rahul Gandhi Challenges Narendra Modi For a 10-Minute Debate, Says 'PM Will Run Away As He Is Coward', Watch Video.

In a virtual election speech, the Prime Minister said that he and his government are dedicated to the cause of poor and recounted the achievements of his government.

Watch the Video of PM's Speech Highlights Below:

The PM called the Opposition's aim at unity (the Mahagathbandhan) as "Mahamilawat" and added that the voters will reject the mahamilawat (Opposition) parties just as it did in Uttar Pradesh.

Attacking the Opposition, PM Modi mentioned the surgical strike and said that the Congress and UPA governments ignored the demands of the Defence forces.

The PM spoke about the importance of voting and made a special mention of the first-time voters in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. PM Modi said that they will have the opportunity to choose the Parliament for the first time.

The PM said that only those with confidence and hope can change and bring the vision of New India to reality.

The Prime Minister spoke about the challenges ahead and said that one must challenge the challenges and that this government has never run away from challenges.

PM Modi attacked the Congress party and took a dig at the Congress saying that the grand old party thinks that everything has been done by it.

The Prime Minister counted the achievements of India in various fields such as automobile sector, aviation sector and telecom industry.

The PM said that while opposing the BJP and the government, the Opposition sometimes end up "insulting the country." Reflecting on the President's speech, the PM said that this government speaks the truth both inside and outside the house.

PM Modi said, "Today Kharge sahab was reading some saying of (poet)Basavanna .I want to ask you that you are from Karnataka, why are you remembering him now after so many years? If you had read him 25-30 years back then you would have not taken the wrong path and policies."

PM Modi speaking on government's welfare schemes mentioned the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Kisan Nidhi Scheme and said that, "Kuchh rajya keh rahe hain Modi ki is yojna ko nahi lenge. Arrey wahan ke kisaan se to puccho ki 6000 aana hai, lena hai ki nahi lena hai? Aapko to ek rupya dena nahi hai.Kehte hai Ayushman Bharat hum nahi lenge, apne yahan ke gareeb ki chinta karo. yeh rajneeti chalti rahegi."

On India's foreign policy, the Prime Minister said that, "India will be friends with both Israel and Palestine. India will be friends with both Saudi Arabia and Iran.Our foreign policy has led to India's voice becoming stronger on the world stage. Also,I am happy that after our efforts other parties are also reaching out to NRIs, it is good."

Talking on defence deal, the PM said that the Congress didn't want a strong Air Force. "I am levelling a serious allegation here. You want this Rafale deal to be cancelled, on whose behest? For which company? In our neighbourhood, everyone is building war capabilities, why didn't we do it in all these years? This is criminal negligence," Modi said.

"Every deal negotiated under the Congress regime had the presence of middlemen," he says. Speaking on the surgical strike, PM says, "There were days (under the Congress) when even bulletproof jackets were not available for the Army."

PM Modi targeted the Congress over the Commonwealth Games scandal and said, "When the Commonwealth Games were held, it was an opportunity for us to highlight the glory of our nation. But these people (Congress/UPA) were focussed on increasing their own wealth."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2019 06:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).