Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “eroding” credibility of his Government, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday ridiculed the Centre for providing mere Rs 100 crore for Mumbai under the Smart City project.
Addressing a party workers’ rally at Malad in north Mumbai on his first visit to the metropolis after the Congress’ defeat in the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Rahul said that one of the main reasons for the fast eroding credibility of the Narendra Modi Government was that it had made several such big promises that did not have economic basis or reasoning.
Citing the instance of Rs 100 crore fund allocation made to Mumbai under the Smart city project, Rahul said: “When you (Government) says that we should have smart cities. The idea sounds good. But, there should be a basis whatever Government says. When you ( the Government) say that you would make Mumbai into a smart city. And you set aside Rs 100 crore for the purpose. You should realise that your credibility will go down and will never go up”.
In his elaboration, Rahul said: “In his speeches, Modi talked about smart cities. The Government prepared a list of smart cities. Mumbai which is already a smart city was included in the project. Mumbai’s annual budget runs into several thousands of crores. Ironically enough, the Government allocates Rs 100 crore under the Smart city project. (Former chief minister) Ashok Chavan told me that under JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission), our Government gave as much as Rs 2,000 crore for a smaller city like Nanded. Here the Government is allocating Rs 100 crore for a major city like Mumbai under the Smart
city project”.
Accusing the Government for lack of “balance” in its approach, Rahul said: “In order to take the country forward, you need some balance. The Government talks about initiatives like “Start-ups”, it talks about “connect-India” and it talks about entrepreneurship. All these things are proper and good. But, India also has poor people. There are also weaker sections. In a city like Mumbai, there are hawkers, maid servants, labourers and petty businessmen. The country – as also Mumbai—belongs to these people as much to these people as others. It is sad that the Government ignores the concerns of these people”.
Hitting out at the Modi Government for not addressing the problems of farmers across the country, the Congress vice president said: “Go and talk to farmers in any part of the country. They will tell you as to what is sad state of affairs. Half of the people will break down while narrating the problems faced by them. They will tell you that they would not see any future for them”.
Taking a pot shot at the “Clean India” project undertaken by the NDA Government, Rahul said that as a photo-op, the Ministers took up jhadus and swept the streets. “But in Mumbai, there are tonnes and tonnes of solid waste. Does it have a concrete plan to deal with solid waste generated in MumbaiIJ...You won’t be able to clean Mumbai through mere speeches and staging events,” he said.
Rahul, whose two-day visit to Mumbai comes in the midst of the internal feuds, began his speech greeting party men in Marathi and saying “Til gul ghya, god god bola” (eat sesame-sweet, speak cordially), exhorted the partymen to sink differences and work as an one unit to ensure the party’s return to power in State and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). “We should have Congress’ Mayor in the BMC”.
In his interaction with the party workers at the Mumbai Regional Committee office earlier in the morning, Rahul said: “I am not saying that there should not be differences. But, we have to sit across and sort them out, with love, affection and brotherhood. If that does not happen, then I will enforce discipline in the party”.
Rahul’s remarks were in the context of a verbal duel witnessed between two factions of the Congress — one led by MRCC president Sanjay Nirupam and another led by one of his predecessors Gurudas Kamat, a former Union Minister of State for Home and a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member.
On Saturday, Rahul will interact with management students at NMIMS at Vile Parle and then lead a padyatra from Bandra Bandstand to Mahim Causeway to Dharavi, where he would be talking people about the problems faced by them.