On a day the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre completed three years in office, the BJP sent out three State-based leaders to defend its government in Chennai, while the Congress delegated national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member M.V. Rajeev Gowda – who hails from Karnataka – to pick holes in the government’s version of events.
The leaders of the two parties addressed journalists in separate press conferences. The sharpest differences emerged over demonetisation. While Mr. Gowda called it a “blunder,” BJP’s National Secretary H. Raja said that demonetisation was a success that had increased the country’s tax base 1.5 times.
Apart from Mr. Raja, the BJP’s presser was also addressed by the party’s State unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan and Rajya Sabha member La. Ganesan. Though Mr. Gowda was flanked by three past presidents of the State congress, only the incumbent Su. Thirunavukkarasar spoke.
BJP blames State govt.
Mr. Gowda, who heads the Congress’ research and coordination unit, said: “Many of us addressed demonetisation as economists. He [Mr. Modi] approached it as a politician. That was one of the key challenges. People gave him the benefit of doubt,” he said.
Agriculture was another bone of contention. While the Congress accused the BJP of not fulfilling campaign promises relating to increasing the Minimum Support Price, the latter passed on the blame to the State government. “It is the job of the State government to register farmers in the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme. They have failed to achieve even 25% of the 50 lakh target. Also, even with drought on its way, funds for drip irrigation were not utilised,” said Ms. Soundararajan.
Mr. Gowda pointed out that the Prime Minister had not met agitating farmers from Tamil Nadu. “He will meet. But only real farmers; not those in the guise of farmers who are out to criticise,” said the BJP State president.
The Congress attacked the BJP for not generating jobs; labour bureau statistics show that only 2.31 lakh jobs were generated during the 2016 calendar year.
“Nobody wants to borrow; nobody is investing,” said Mr. Gowda, saying that the government is sustaining itself only by collecting indirect taxes. The BJP also used the platform to counter-attack its opponents with Ms. Soundararajan taking several digs at DMK Working President and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin.
Mr. Gowda, on the other hand, refused to comment on the allegation that the Modi government has been meddling in the affairs of the State, saying that he does not want to talk of the invisible.
