Taking a dig at the style of functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in Gujarat, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday described Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a non-issue.
“What has Modi seen outside GujaratIJ Even Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Assam’s Tarun Gogoi and several other Congress leaders have become Chief Ministers thrice. He is a non-issue for us,” Singh told mediapersons here on Thursday. Pointing out that the debt burden of the Gujarat Government has increased from `40,000 crore in 2002 to `1.17 lakh crore at present, he said Modi claims that he has repaid the debt of Gujarat and now intended to repay the country’s debt, he added.
Singh said Gujarat imposed highest VAT on fertiliser, petrol and diesel. Besides, malnutrition is one of the biggest issues in that State. Claiming that Gujarat has not worked in the favour of poor and farmers, he said the State lagged behind several others in several important parameters such as education, health, human development index and investment.
Terming as “unfortunate” the heckling of Mamata Banerjee by left activists in New Delhi, Singh said that police failed to ensure safety of the West Bengal Chief Minister.
"The incident was unfortunate and it should not have happened with her (Mamata) and that too in the Planning Commission. Delhi police are responsible for it," Digvijay told.
Singh said Delhi police should have taken adequate steps to ensure Mamata's safety as she is Chief Minister. The incident took place on Tuesday at Planning Commission office when Mamata was heckled by the left-wing Student Federation of India (SFI) activists and the West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra accompanying her was gheraoed.
On BJP Vice President Uma Bharti's remark that BJP will perform the 'pind daan' (rituals after cremation) of Congress in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Digvijay said, "She should first clarify her position in the BJP hierarchy in Madhya Pradesh."