Congress snubs Modi

Tells him to look at his own record before criticising UPA

Criticising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his comments against UPA, the state Congress on Saturday said Modi should first study his government’s report card before pointing fingers at the UPA.

“Before pointing fingers at the Centre, Modi should study his government’s report card,” Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Arjun Modhwadia said. His remarks came in the wake of Modi criticising the UPA government yesterday at Mumbai during BJP’s two-day National Executive meeting. Modi had said the UPA government has inflicted “maximum damage” to the country’s federal structure. He had also opined that UPA government should not last “even a moment longer”.

“In Gujarat, 45 pc of children are victims of malnutrition, infant mortality rate in Gujarat is high at 50 deaths per 1,000 live births and Gujarat ranks seventh in IMR the country as and maternal mortality rate is 14.8 pc per 1,000. When this is the report card of Modi government, he went on to criticise the Centre on the issue of welfare of farmers, children and women,” Modhwadia said. On Modi comparing the UPA government to tainted godman Nirmal Baba, he said, “Modi can think only in terms of fraudsters because he has given shelter to controversial godmen like Asharam and Swami Nityananda. In the last 10 years, he has not built a dam and farmers’ application of electric connections have not been accepted.”

Referring to Modi’s criticism about petrol price hike, Modhwadia said his own government was siphoning off Rs 25 against collection of Rs 100 each in the name of VAT on petrol and diesel. “We have requested this government to reduce the VAT on petrol for many times but they have not done so, thereby increasing the burden on the people of the state,” he said.