BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a wipe at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s advocacy of lokpal Bill by asking why the Congress was not implementing lokayukta Act brought in by the previous BJP Government in Uttarakhand if the Congress leader was so serious about the issue.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, who held a Press conference in the national Capital on Saturday, Modi said, “A Congress leader was talking about lokpal at a Press conference yesterday. My question is how can the leader of a party which has shied away from the creation of the anti-corruption watchdog so far be so vocal on the issue.”
“I want to ask him if his heart really aches for lokpal why his party has not allowed the implementation of the lokyukta Act in Uttarakhand passed by the State Assembly during BJP Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri’s tenureIJ” he added. Addressing his maiden rally in the State after being chosen BJP’s prime ministerial candidate here at the Parade Ground, Modi said if the Congress is so serious about implementation of the bill, he should ask Congress-led Uttarakhand Government to implement it immediately.
He also flayed the Vijay Bahuguna-led State Government which did not allow him to visit affected areas and “share the pain” of disaster victims when he visited the State during June. “I came running to Uttarakhand to share the pain of the victims of the unprecedented tragedy but political callousness came in my way, I was not allowed to visit the affected areas,” he said.
“It was very painful when I found that yjr Congress Government was doing politics on it. My pain doubled when I was unable to wipe out the tears of disaster victim, who was yearning for help,” he added “Politics should be a means to bail out people in times of crisis and not to deepen their pain. When Kucch was hit by an earthquake I accepted help from every possible quarter, including even Pakistan,” he said.
“The incident still haunting me and it gets double when he comes to know that still disaster-affected families are residing in temporary makeshift”, he added.Instead of helping disaster victim, Congress-led Uttarakhand Government is busy in framing charges against famous Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev everyday. Even if they had shown 50 per cent of such seriousness in helping disaster-affected people then situation would have better now. It is strange Baba is asking everyone to take deep breath then Congress face breathing problem.
“One Baba Ramdev is taking all people along together, but that is troubling the Congress. Every day they file some or the other new case against him. Is this democracyIJ” he asked. Accusing Congress led UPA Government of cheating the people of the State, Modi said, “We should also be very grateful to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who carved out Uttarakhand as separate State from Uttar Pradesh. Atalji gave industrial package to the State for the next 10 years.