‘Modi government failed to keep poll promises’

The prices of basic commodities were sky-rocketing contrary to Mr. Modi’s promise.

AICC spokesperson Tom Vadakkan addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Saturday.

Most of the promises made by the Modi Government before elections and even after coming to power have not materialised, AICC spokesperson Tom Vaddakkan, said.

Releasing a booklet on the promises and claims made by the Central Government, at the Andhra Ratna Bhavan here on Saturday , Mr. Vaddakkan said that even the growth rate that the government was claiming it had achieved was doubtful. The Modi Government claimed that it achieved a growth rate of 7.6 per cent in 2015-16 but the economic pundits were claiming that the growth rate was in the range of 5 per cent. Even the RBI Governor was not comfortable with the figure released by the Government, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised two crore jobs but the number of jobs that were actually generated were just 1.34 lakh (official figures). The nation was staring at a huge unemployment crisis with between 10 and 12 lakh youngsters joining the ranks of unemployed every month. By 2019 the number of unemployed youth would increase to 6 crore nation wide, he said.

The prices of basic commodities were sky-rocketing contrary to Mr. Modi’s promise. While the price of crude petroleum had fallen by 55.2 per cent, the price of diesel in country had fallen by a mere 8.9 per cent and petrol 11.74 per cent. Corruption free governance was promised, but there was a tremendous increase in corruption and university campuses had been declared as ‘war zones’ with students being branded as traitors. On the other hand those responsible for the death of Kerala fishermen were being allowed to go scott-free without even the slightest effort for justice, Mr. Vaddakkan said.

He said booklet on the two-year rule of the Modi Government was released by 40 AICC spokespersons all over the country from 11 a.m. onwards. He said there would soon be a change in the persons taking care of Andhra Pradesh in AICC and the new general secretary would work to strengthen the party at the mandal and district levels. The party was seeing it as one of the big challenges ahead of it as far as Andhra Pradesh was concerned. The new leadership would also intensify the agitation for Special Category Status for the state, he said.