Ahmedabad: Gujarat Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi on Friday targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying "nobody remembered him when he was on holiday for two months", an apparent reference to Singh's recovery from a bypass heart surgery.
Terming Singh as a "weak" Prime Minister, Modi said Singh owes many answers to the country on many issues while addressing a massive election rally at Maninagar area in Ahmedabad.
"I want to remind you that during Narasimha Rao government, you were the finance minister and India's biggest share market scam, committed by Harshad Mehta, had occurred," Modi said, adding "now you are Prime Minister and Satyam scam has occurred."
"I want to ask you is it mere coincidence that two biggest scams of the country have occurred when you are at the helm of affairs,?" he said.
Modi said "nobody remembered the PM when he was on holiday for two months. Such an invisible PM who is not to be found and seen anywhere!" he exclaimed in an apparent reference to Singh's absence from work while recovering from bypass heart surgery.
Modi attacked the UPA government on the issue of Mumbai terror attack and said "Your neighbouring country attacked you and instead of going to Pakistan and attack it, a minister of your government collected some TV clippings, news paper reports' and prepared a booklet and went to the US for help."
"Isn't it shameful that you are asking Obama to help you because your neighbour has slapped you?" Modi asked in his inimitable style.
He said "if you had the courage, you would have launched an attack on the neighbouring country because India is a country of one billion people."
He took a dig at India's giving the dossier of evidence on Mumbai attacks to Pakistan and the latter's response to it and said Pakistan has given us 30 questions and this government has given a "love letter-like reply" to it.
Modi said, "if you ask the PM whether there is any minister who did not attend a single cabinet meeting and whether the PM could remove him, the PM would have no answer. This is proof that the PM is weak."
On the performance of the United Progressive Alliance Government, he said that instead of providing employment to people, Pranab Mukhrjee as Finance Minister had said that 5 lakh people have lost their jobs and many more would lose because of economic crisis.
PAGE_BREAK
He said Congress had committed to creating job for 1.5 crore youths in the country and in a sarcastic way added that Mukherjee is right that many people will lose jobs in the country.
"I agree with him. On May 16, when results of the general elections are announced, you all would lose jobs as NDA (National Democratic Alliance) led by Advani will come to power," he said.
On Congress election manifesto, Modi claimed the party has devoted 20 page on "vote bank politics" but not bothered to write 20 lines on internal security and how it would tackle the situation when Bangladesh and Pakistan have become "terrorist hubs".
He attacked Congress for allegedly remaining silent on illegal Bangladeshis staying in the country.
Modi also spoke about the diamond industry affected by the global economic crisis. He charged the UPA government has not done anything to help the industry which provides a huge revenue to the Centre.
"Advaniji and I requested the Prime Minister to help the industry by asking the Diamond Corporation of India to buy the rough diamond and give them for cutting and polishing to the diamond units in the state," he said.
He said it would have helped the diamond industry tackle the financial crisis and people would not have lost jobs.
Modi said if NDA is voted back to power, the Central Government will ask the Diamond Corporation of India to buy rough diamond and give them for cutting and polishing to the Gujarat units.
On the present political scenario in the country, Modi said there are three fronts in the country now: Congress-led front represents "familism," Third Front represents "opportunism" and NDA led by Advani represents "nationalism."
Comments
0 comment