Congress' 'last speech' taunt for Modi

Congress on Wednesday taunted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address as his “last speech” from the Red Fort and described it as “hollow” and “uninspiring”.

The main Opposition also renewed the challenge to Modi for an open debate with Congress President Rahul Gandhi on real issues faced by the common man such as corruption, rising unemployment and the state of the economy.

“The last speech of Modi’s tenure as prime minister has proved to be hollow because neither has he made a mention of corruption in the Rafale deal nor did he say a word about the Vyapam or the PDS scams,” Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

He said that people were now tired of the “fake achche din” promised by the BJP and were waiting for “sachche din (days of truth) when he is ousted as the prime minister of the country in the elections next year.

Surjewala also asked if Modi was ready to have an open debate with Rahul Gandhi on issues such as the state of India’s farmers, “mob lynching which is happening under the instigation and protection of BJP leaders” and safety of women.

He recalled that Modi had dared the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for an open debate in 2013 from a public rally in Chhatisgarh on issues such as corruption, falling rupee and women’s safety.

Surjewala also said there was a need to fight a second freedom struggle for -- freedom from discrimination, freedom from unemployment, freedom from poverty, freedom from lack of opportunities and from empty rhetoric.

Congress also rejected Modi’s claims that he had ushered in change at such a pace in the last four years that was unimaginable during the UPA years.

“Let the Prime Minister not insult India and India’s entrepreneurial spirit and the contribution of Indians to the world over the last 70 years. It has not happened, Mr Prime Minister, in the last four years. India was always a power and India is a power that the world reckons with,” Surjewala said..