Modi Criticizes Gandhi's Development Record, Emphasizes Future-Ready Policies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s development record, citing what he called systemic rigidity in India’s planning apparatus that hampered infrastructure projects for generations. Addressing Parliament during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, PM Modi invoked Indira Gandhi’s own acknowledgment of the disconnect between policymakers and ground realities, using it to criticize the Planning Commission she once chaired. “I had gone to Himachal Pradesh. When I returned, I told the Planning Commission that our workers need mules, not jeeps. But we were told that the funds are only available for jeeps; there is no policy to fund mules. They said, if there are no proper roads, then what use is a jeep," PM Modi said, quoting Indira Gandhi’s remarks. PM Modi said this reflected “a system that knew its shortcomings but did not reform itself." The Planning Commission, established in 1950 with Jawaharlal Nehru- Indira Gandhi’s father- as its first chairman, was responsible for drafting and implementing India’s Five-Year Plans. The Planning Commission was dissolved in 2014 under PM Modi’s government and replaced with NITI Aayog. PM Modi highlighted the Congress party’s historical failure to deliver timely and efficient development, asserting, “A significant part of our energy is being spent on correcting the mistakes of the past. It takes great effort to erase the image that was created in the minds of the world during that period." The Prime Minister also cited the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River as a case study of delayed execution and policy inertia under previous administrations. The multipurpose dam’s foundation stone was laid in 1961 but it officially became operational only in 2017- more than five decades later and roughly 30 years after construction began in earnest. The Sardar Sarovar Dam, part of the broader Narmada Valley development initiative, faced numerous obstacles over its decades-long journey. Construction was stalled in the 1990s by court orders related to rehabilitation and resettlement conditions for displaced communities. Procedural and clearance issues further bogged down progress, keeping it mired in administrative hurdles. PM Modi contrasted the delays and inefficiencies of past governments with his administration’s emphasis on future-ready policies, strategic governance and faster project execution, arguing that India is now on a more decisive development path. “That is why we have placed strong emphasis on future-ready policies. Today, the country is being governed on the basis of policy and strategy," PM Modi said.