Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday came down heavily on the Congress leadership and termed it as party of “dacoits.”
Modi slammed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Somnath Temple and said his great grandfather and first PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru was opposed to the rebuilding of the temple when the idea was mooted by Sardar Patel.
Speaking at a mammoth rally in Morbi town of Saurashtra region, globally known for its ceramic industry, Modi responded to Rahul’s “Gabbar Singh Tax” jibe at Goods and Services Tax (GST) and said those who looted the country for decades can only think of “robbers.” Modi made mockery of the Congress vice-president by calling him a newly emerged “economist” who is promoting a “Grand Stupid Thought” and suggesting GST to be capped at 18 per cent.
“Congress leaders want single tax slab for all items. Can it be logical to levy same tax on salt and luxury cars or liquorIJ
Isn’t it anti poor and middleclass thoughtIJ You want tax on cloths, footwear and essential food items at par with luxurious car worth Rs 5 crore,” he said.
Modi said his Government would change the tax if necessary citing that GST on ceramic industry reduced from 28 to 18 per cent.
Apart from Morbi, Modi also responded to Gabbar Singh jibe in other three rallies at Prachi, around 20 km from famous Somnath temple, Palitana in Bhavnagar district, and also at South Gujarat town Navsari on Wednesday.
Reminding flood fury of late eighties in Morbi town in which thousands of people died, he said the RSS and Jan Sangh workers, including him reached to serve the people. During that period Indira Gandhi too visited the flood affected Morbi region but she was not even able to stand at a place where rotten human dead bodies and animal carcasses were lying, he claimed.
Giving credit to Patel making reconstruction of the temple possible, Modi said at Prachi rally that Nehru had even shown displeasure when first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad agreed to inaugurate the Somnath temple after its construction work completed.
“The family (Nehru-Gandhi) was responsible for the delay in Narmada Dam Project dreamt by Patel. As Chief Minister of Gujarat I had to sit on hunger strike to speed up Narmada dam construction,’’ he said. Modi also criticised former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remark that Modi never raised Narmada dam issue before him as Gujarat CM.
“Due to aging Singh might have forgotten that I met him repeatedly over the issue. However, after taking oath as Prime Minister, I gave permission to close the gates on Narmada dam,” said Modi, adding that in arid Saurashtra region people generally remember those who offer drinking water, we have brought Narmada water not only for drinking but irrigation purpose too. “Don’t you think such Government should be voted for another 100 yearsIJ” he said.
