New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid emphasis on the importance of clear mandate for a 'full-majority' government and said this was single biggest reason for the country's prestige to have gone up in the past few years.
'In the comity of nations, India is taken seriously these days. There need not be any doubt that this is happening because of Modi or Sushma Swaraj(External Affairs Minister). The reality is something else and the reason is for the first time in 30 years there came a government with full majority in 2014,' the Prime Minister said at the valedictory session of the 16th Lok Sabha.
'The world recognises the government with full majority...the fractured mandate in 30 years has often made the country face awkward situation globally,' he said, adding when a leader goes abroad with full mandate government behind him, he gets different kind of respect.
'When such a leader goes abroad, the world knows that this man has mandate behind him,' Mr Modi said in presence of senior parliamentarians L K Advani, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
'This is a big difference I have experience in the last five years and the credit for this goes to 125 crore people and not to Modi or Sushma Swaraj for their decision to vote for a stable government in 2014,' he said.
The terse political commentary on the issue of fractured mandate and stability from the Prime Minister comes on a day when several Opposition leaders are holding a rally in the Capital.
In his speech in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister also made opportune use of the occasion and made a veiled attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi for the unprecedented 'hug politics' the latter had brought into the House in July last year.
'Pahli baar pata chala ki gale milna aur gale padne mein kya farak hai (only after coming into this House, I could know what hug politics is all about),' the Prime Minister said in his inevitable style.
Mr Modi said as the leader of the House , he would express regrets for any harsh comments made by any member of the House irrespective of party against anyone.
'Michhami Dukkadam ....', he said adding this is a meaningful phrase which talks about forgiveness so that no dispute or ill feeling is carried beyond this point.
In a lighter note, he said he personally enjoyed debating in the House with Congress floor leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
'It would have been great had his throat been okay today...He could have enlightened us more,' he said.
Mr Modi said quite often he based his speeches in Parliament in reference to the context of what Mr Kharge has spoken or analysed things.
K C Venugopal of Congress and Sudip Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool Congress also spoke among others.
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