AICC general secretary and spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad has alleged that the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime despite being in power for the past two years has completely failed to even maintain the pace of development that was prevailing during the earlier UPA regimes. At the same time, he defended his party leaders on the issue of Augusta Westland purchase scam that has sparked off a fierce controversy in the national politics.
“We must not forget the fact that the Centre had taken the decision to purchase Augusta helicopters when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. It was they who reduced the height of the chopper from 6000 meter to 4500 meter. later, UPA regime cancelled the contract, seized three helicopters and confiscated their security deposit. We lodged a case in a court in Italy after we conducted a CBI inquiry into the company. Subsequently, the company was black- listed. However, the incumbent regime lifted the ban and invited Augusta to involve itself in its much-touted Make in India programme, organised in Mumbai. Not just this, the company was involved in biddings involving Navy,” the Congress leader said.
Talking about the CAG report prepared by Vinod Rai, who had made it a point to present the report to the media prior to sending it to the Parliament, Ahmed said it had found that Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) had unnecessarily spent `19778 crore. “GSPC claimed that it had found a huge reserve of gas and oil and this would help the nation in future. However, things proved a sham as neither gas nor oil has been conjured out by GSPC from the so -called reservoir,” he said.
“Besides, prices of the essential edible items are on the spiral. Currently, prices of pulses are unaffordable. This is because the farmers stayed away from farming, burdened with staggering loans and others. As per a rough estimate, 2.25 lakh hectare of land has not been tilled by the farmers. UPA regime had waived off farmers’ loans to the tune of `72,000 crore. However, the BJP-led Government has waived off loans worth `114000 crore. But these are the loans taken by the affluent class. The farmers are left to wallow in miseries. Is this developmentIJ” he asked.
He further said that the Modi regime has miserably failed to restrain Pakistan. “When there was the UPA regime, whenever Pakistan indulged in cease fire violations at the border areas then Gujarat Chief Minister Modi used to raise hammer and tongs, slamming the Congress for its lack of spunk to take on the belligerent neighbor. Now what is happeningIJ During 2013-14, mere 96 cases of ceasefire violations were reported along the Indo-Pak border. But after Modi took charge as the PM, 1124 such cases have happened. With across-the-border belligerence continuing, 40,000 people residing along the border areas have been forced to shift twice between May 2014 and May 2016,” the Congress leader said.
Debunking BJP’s claim that no scam has tainted the party in its first two years in office, the Congress leader cited several instances to buttress his view that BJP is neck –deep in corruption. “The name of the son of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has figured in Panama paper leak case. Besides, lalit Modi had sent `22 crore to India from abroad of which `11 crore has been transferred into the account of Dushyant Singh, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister. As far as Vyapam scam is concerned 44 people have died mysteriously. They were bumped off because they were aware of what was going on behind the screen.
Nothing has happened so far to give justice to those who lost their near and dear ones. Moreover, Vijay Mallaya has left the country with `9000 crore he had stolen from the banks. PM boasts that he should better be called pradhan chowkidar rather than prime minister. Then how has Mallaya left the country, giving the prime chowkidar a slipIJ” the Congress leader asked.