Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched yet another scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, even as he launched the poll campaign for Chhattisgarh Assembly elections in Ambikapur

He accused the UPA government of being at the zenith of arrogance and considering citizens of the country as mere votebanks. "The government in Delhi is so arrogant that it does not even answer the questions of people," said Modi.

Addressing a gathering at Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poll panel chief took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and later compared him with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.

Modi pointed that Manmohan Singh was a doctor of rupee while Raman Singh was a doctor of people. He went on to add that while the doctor of people was doing excellent for their well-being, the doctor of rupee was not able to heal the wounds of the Indian currency at all. He said that the rupee was battling for life in a hospital.

Pointing that social media was a powerful medium these days, he said that he recently got a mail wherein Mahatma Gandhi was seen looking for the "lost rupee" and his photograph on it through a magnifying glass.

He further attacked the government for being indifferent to the woes of the poor people, saying those in Delhi did not even know the cost of food of the poor people. "They do not know your pain, how can they give you medicine," said the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Modi also took a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over the issue, recalling that he had called poverty a "state of mind". He said that Rahul’s statement must have pained his grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, adding that the UPA was pouring acid on the wounds of the poor people.

Referring to the issue of Telangana statehood, the BJP strongman accused the Centre of mishandling the situation and leaving Andhra Pradesh to burn.

"When Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were created, people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were also distributing sweets...but after the creation of Telangana, there is imposition of curfew in Andhra Pradesh," said Modi.

Modi added that at times there are problems, but then the leadership must act on such situations and not evade questions of people.

He further said that when Raman Singh became the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, he had two options – one was to cry whole day over the shortcomings of the state and the other was to develop it using whatever it had.

"Raman Singh chose the second way, he decided that even if Delhi does not help, Chhattisgarh will be developed," said the Gujarat Chief Minister.

Without taking the name of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has been demanding a special status from the Centre fot his state, the BJP poll panel chief said that there were several chief ministers who cannot develop their states and go to Delhi crying for help. Modi urged the voters in Chhattisgarh to vote for Raman Singh in the upcoming elections so that the latter could develop the state further.