Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi came up with a new acronym for FDI and hit out at those protesting for various causes in the country. These 'Andolan Jivi', he said, would have to be identified and the nation had to be protected from them.
Over the last few days, there have been a slew of international personalities who have raised their voices in support of the Indian protestors, calling out the government's actions and demanding justice. And as the chorus grew, the MEA had lashed out at "celebrities and others" for making remarks without ascertaining facts.
Now, Prime Minister Modi appears to be echoing the sentiment, stating that India needed to protect itself from "Foreign Destructive Ideology".
But it is not just external influences that the Prime Minister seems to be irked by.
As he told the Rajya Sabha, there was now a "new entity" in the country that could be spotted "wherever there is a protest, be it agitation by lawyers, students, or labourers, explicitly or implicitly". These "Andolan Jivi" he said, could not live without protests.
"We have to identify them and protect nation from them," PM Modi said.
Coming against the backdrop of the ongoing farmers protest in India, Modi's speech also emphasised on the BJP-led government's initiatives to support farmers and boost the agricultural sector. And according to him, MSP - a contentious topic for the protesting farmers - is not going anywhere. "MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future. Affordable ration for the poor will continue and Mandis will be modernised," he said while replying to the motion of thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha.
"The crop insurance scheme was changed to make it more farmer-friendly. The PM-KISAN scheme was also brought in. We are working for the small farmers," said the Prime Minister.
(With inputs from agencies)
