New Delhi, Feb 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that the country will be the third-largest economy in the third term of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government.

PM Modi, while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha, took a swipe at Congress, quoted the then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who presented the Interim Budget for 2014-15, saying that the grand old party was proud of being the 11th largest economy in 2014.

Emphasising that India will be the third largest economy in his third term, PM Modi quoted the then Finance Minister and said, "India was the 11th largest economy in 2014. Today, India is the 5th largest economy, and yet they (Congress) are silent... They saw a vision that India will be the third largest in 30 years. We will not allow the nation to wait for so long. It is Modi's guarantee that in our third term, India will be the third largest economic power..."

"...On the basis of the experience of 10 years of governance, looking at today's strong economy and the rapid speed with which India is progressing today, I can confidently say that in our third term, India will be the third largest economic power. This is Modi's guarantee," the PM added.

PM Modi also listed the achievements of his government in the last 10 years since 2014.

"We built 4 crore houses for the poor. For the urban poor, we built 80 lakh pucca houses. Had these been built at the speed of Congress...it would have taken 100 years to do this work. Five generations would have passed by then," he said.

Listing the scrapping of the British-era penal codes, vision for developed India, the PM said, "Lord Ram has returned not only home, but to such a grand temple that it is definite that 'Abki baar 400 paar' (This time 400 plus). Even Kharge ji (Mallikarjun Kharge) is saying it. Not only will NDA win 400+ seats, BJP itself will win 300 seat".

About sixty speakers took part in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address in Lok Sabha. The Budget Session commenced on January 31 and will conclude on February 9.

PM Modi also targeted the opposition parties, particularly Congress in his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address and said from "every word of their speech, I and the country are now convinced that they have resolved to sit for a long time in the opposition".

"I really commend the resolution of the opposition. From every word of their speech, I and the country are now convinced that they have resolved to sit for a long time in opposition. The way you sat here (in government) for many decades, the same way you resolve to sit there (in opposition)," he said. (ANI)

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