Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and MP, Mallikarjuna Kharge, has castigated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “lowering the dignity of the country” abroad.
Addressing a gathering of Congress party workers as part of the “Gram Swaraj “ district conference at the Library grounds here on Monday, Mr. Kharge said that Mr. Modi used to claim that he is a “chaiwala” and make derogatory statements about other leaders during his foreign tours. “Mr. Modi is free to tell such things inside the country but he should not resort to such gimmickry which lowers the country’s dignity in the eyes of the international community.”
Mr. Kharge said that casteism and untouchability still prevail in the country but if it is spoken about in foreign countries it lowers the dignity of the nation.
He said no former Prime Minister, either from the Congress (I) or A.B. Vajpayee, when in power had spoken like Mr. Modi when they travelled abroad. But ironically, “it is this chaiwala who is hell-bent on helping the corporate sector and the rich and not the poor people.”
He said Mr. Modi has decreased the tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent for corporate companies “as they had helped him during the Lok Sabha polls by funding.” Hence Rs.80,000 crore, amounting to 5 per cent tax cut, is benefitting the corporate companies and not the poor people, he claimed.
Mr. Kharge also said that it has become the job of Mr. Modi and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to criticise the Congress and the Gandhi family of “not doing any work and destroying the country.” “Was there no roads, schools, colleges, irrigation projects, and other developmental activities in the country before the BJP came to power?”, he asked. “Has Mr. Modi built all the roads, schools, colleges, dams and other projects during his one-year-eight months rule?” he further asked.
Petrol, diesel prices
Mr. Kharge said the BJP government at the Centre has failed to give relief to the customers in connection with the fall in petrol and diesel prices in the international market. Now, a barrel of crude oil costs $28 i.e., Rs.2,000 in the international market whereas it was $120 i.e., Rs.8,000 during the UPA rule. Hence the price of petrol should have been Rs.20 per litre and diesel Rs.15 per litre but petrol is being sold at Rs.61 per litre and diesel at Rs.56 per litre. A sum of Rs.1.5 lakh crore which has to benefit the petrol and diesel consumers is being taken away by the Union government to help the corporate companies, he alleged.
Intolerance
Mr. Kharge said those who object to freedom of expression, freedom to wear clothes and eat the food of their choice are in the BJP. Hence BJP is synonymous with intolerance, he said.
The Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, criticised the Janata Dal (Secular), saying that it did not win four seats in the Legislative Council polls by securing the trust of the people but only by spending huge amounts of money.
He also took the Union government to task by saying that it has cut Rs.1,987 crore to the State in the 2015-16 budget when compared to the 2014-15 budget but claimed that it has given more funds to the State, which was false.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara, Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra, Social Welfare Minister H.Anjaneya, former Union ministers Veerappa Moily and Rehman Khan and others were present.
