PURNEA, Bihar: Rahul Gandhi is behaving as if he has come from planet Mars, Narendra Modi today said taunting the Congress leader for leveling accusations on others, instead of accounting for his party’s 10-year rule at the Centre.
Addressing a rally here, Modi also attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying the arrogance of the person who claims to be the “most suitable” and “able” candidate for the Prime Minister’s post, was higher than even Mt Everest.
Referring to Rahul as ‘Shehzaada’ (prince) numerous times during his address, Modi said, “He is moving around the country giving sermons and lectures. Should he not give an account of the 10 years of rule at the Centre.”?
“He is delivering lectures and accusing others as if he has come from planet Mars. Congress’ ‘Shehzaade’ should declare first whether this government belongs to his party or not,” The BJP’s PM candidate said while criticizing Rahul for attacking others and remaining silent on Congress-led UPA’s performance in the last 10 years.
Modi accused the Congress vice president of not answering any questions posed to him on corruption, unemployment, price rise and lack of development under his party’s rule.
“The Prince makes allegations but is not ready to answer any question,” Modi said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister asked the gathering if Congress government gave them computers or mobiles when they could not even provide electricity to charge them.
“Shehzaadeji, you claim to give them mobiles, but does India have power to charge them. Please answer. I want to ask you how much are you interested in India’s future,” Modi said citing figures that only 2 per cent schools in Bihar had computers. . Modi also cited example of other states with Congress governments. Assam, he said, had seven per cent computers in schools, Haryana 40 per cent, Maharashtra 45 per cent, Rajasthan (which till now had a Congress regime) with 22 per cent and Uttar Pradesh, where laptops were distributed to gain votes had only 10 per cent computers in schools.
He said against the national average of 22 per cent schools having computers in schools, Gujarat “which was being attacked and abused day and night over various issues had 71 per cent computers in schools”.
The BJP Prime Ministerial candidates took a jibe at Kapil Sibal questioning the Minister, who he said thought himself to be a reservoir of knowledge, as to where the Akash tablets disappeared.
“Where are the Akash tablets gone? Are they lost in the sky? Where has the money gone,” he said.
Taking a pot shot Nitish Kumar, Modi said the JD (U) leader is not getting sound sleep these days due to his dream of becoming the Prime Minister.
“His arrogance is such that it is even higher than Mt Everest. He thinks no one in the world is as able as he is,” he said.
Modi also attacked the Third Front saying it is a group of leaders “who were either former Prime Ministers or were PM-hopefuls, who had also got their clothes stitched waiting anxiously to be the Prime Minister”.
“It is a ‘toli’ (group) of ex-prime ministers and more than a dozen PM-hopefuls who wake up with the bugle of polls and go to sleep again. They will again wake up when the next election comes,” he said.
He also questioned where such leaders were during the Kosi river flood which unleashed misery on the people of the state.
“When Kosi was in spate, did the Third Front come? Did you hear them? Did they shed tears on your misery or expressed their condolences, or come to help you…. Where were they when people were dying in Kosi River? I want to ask them,” he said.
Lauding the NDA steered by Atal Behari Vajpayee, Modi said it is only such a coalition led by BJP which will keep all together and treat all as partners.
Modi said that there were three kinds of alliances – ‘gathbandhan’ (coalition) represented by NDA under Vajpayee, ‘brashtbandhan’ (grouping of corrupt persons) and ‘lathbandhan’ (alliance of those indulging in violence). –PTI
