The Congress has rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim in a interview that he does not believe in politics of vendetta and accused him of “intolerance and confrontation” by citing CBI raids at the residence of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupender Singh Hooda in a case of alleged irregularities in acquisition of land in Gurgaon.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma alleged that “intolerance, confrontation and vendetta is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's DNA” and refuted the claims made by him in an interview.
“The Prime Minister's claim in a interview that he does not believe in politics of vendetta is proven wrong by his track record.
“Intolerance, confrontation and vendetta is part of Prime Minister's DNA and that of his party and the RSS”, Sharma told reporters. Citing the CBI raids at the residences of Hooda, he alleged that it was also part of the “same malice”.
The Congress leader claimed that in Gujarat, thousands of hectares of land were “sold for a song” and if land deals are probed, all the BJP Chief Ministers would be in the dock.
He alleged that there is a “Dirty Tricks Department” which operate from the PMO. They are targeting leaders in the Opposition. We have said it in Parliament, we are saying it again”.
“They are tapping phones, keeping Opposition leaders under surveillance, keeping senior Judges, senior Officials of Government of India under surveillance and the phones are tapped”
“He is running a Presidential form of authoritarian Government with neither the check of Presidential form of Government which are there in those countries which have a Presidential system nor the checks and balances of Cabinet in Parliamentary system”, Sharma insisted.
The Congress leader alleged that the Prime Minister does not take any action against BJP Chief Ministers despite having clearcut cases, but goes out of the way to “target” opposition leaders and Chief Ministers.
Meanwhile, another senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram dared that Government should publish the contemplated White Paper on the economic situation in the country before the Narendra Modi dispensation presented its first budget in 2014.
“Govt should publish the contemplated White Paper. Before they withdraw the Economic Survey of 2014-15.”
“Also withdraw RBI Annual Report and CSO Report for 2014-15. They will be non-White Papers!”, the senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP said in a series of tweets.
The response of Chidambaram, who was the Finance Minister when the UPA went out of power in May 2014, came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in an interview that he wanted to bring a White Paper before his Government presented its first budget but opted against it in the national interest, even at the risk of political damage.
“...I think, before presenting the first budget, I should have placed a White Paper in Parliament on the economic situation in the country. This thought had come to me,” Modi said an interview to CNN News.
Sharma also sought to dismiss the Prime Minister's claim on this account Friday saying the Prime Minister had participated in an interview the questions and answers of which appeared to be “prepared by the PMO.”
Accusing the Prime Minister of “misleading” the nation by targeting previous government on the economic situation, he told reporters “UPA had left a stable economy. Forex reserves were USD 300 billion. National income grew three-fold. Nearly 14 crore people came out of poverty”.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, he said Modi knows “very little” about the economic situation in India.
“Indeed, it seems that people are circumspect to give him the real picture,” he said.