BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of NDA govt

A day after Rahul Gandhi attacked the "pro-corporate" policies of the NDA government, BJP today hit back at the Congress vice president, saying it was the Manmohan Singh government "led by Sonia Gandhi" that favoured corporates and paved way for big scams, including 2G and coal.

Union Ministers and BJP leaders Ananth Kumar and Prakash Javadekar also said the country is witnessing for the first time in 10 years a scam-free government at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi at a BJP function here, Ananth Kumar asked the Congress vice president to compare the way auctions of 2G spectrum and coal mines were held both in UPA and NDA.

"2G...Rs 1,76,000 crore scam. How did you (UPA government) distribute spectrum? First come first serve basis. You thought 2G spectrum is some laddu. Therefore, first come first serve. Whose property? Nation's property. And now Rahul Gandhi is giving advise to us."

"Under Modi government, through a fair, transparent and objective 2G spectrum auction... India got Rs 1,10,000 crore. And during UPA, it was the corporates who got Rs 1,76,000 crore," said the Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals.

He also said NDA government distributed just 35 per cent of coal mines through transparent bidding and the country got Rs 3,42000 crore.

Under UPA, these natural resources were distributed at throw away prices to the corporates, Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Javadekar, who is visiting northern Kerala to attend programmes to celebrate one year of the NDA government, attacked Gandhi, saying the erstwhile UPA government headed by his party was a "suitcase government".

Accusing the ministers in the UPA of "stealing" the national wealth like spectrum and coal, Javadekar told PTI that the then government headed by Manmohan Singh was a "suitcase government".

He was responding to a query on Rahul Gandhi's criticism that Modi government is a "suit boot government".

"BJP, under Modi, has given a clean, transparent government. Ours is a pro-poor government," Javadekar said.

Addressing a fishermen rally in Chavakkad near Thrissur yesterday, Rahul Gandhi had reached out to the fishing community by attacking the Modi government's decision to extend the ban on trawling, declaring "mother sea" cannot be taken away from them.

"Land is the Kisan's mother, sea is your mother and they want to take your mother and give it to someone else," he had said, attacking the "pro-corporate" policies of the Modi government.