New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched an expected, all-out attack – starting with Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, his direct rival in Wednesday’s Delhi Assembly election – as he responded to a discussion in Parliament on President Droupadi Murmu’s address last week.
Mr Modi began with a dig at “some political leaders (who) focus on Jacuzzis and stylish showers”, a comment seen as referring to the AAP boss and allegations he spent Rs 45 crore of taxpayer money on luxurious fittings and furnishings for the bungalow – dubbed ‘sheeshmahal‘ – he had as Chief Minister.
“Some leaders are focusing on jacuzzies and stylish showers… but our focus is on getting water connections in every home (and) our government gave tap water to 12 crore families,” he declared.
The PM then deftly pivoted to deliver a jab at the Congress too, for whom Rahul Gandhi delivered a fierce attack of his own yesterday, targeting the government on the India-China border row and the stuttering manufacturing sector, mocking it for having failed to deliver its ‘garibi hatao‘ promise.
“In the last 10 years of (BJP rule), 25 crore people were able to overcome poverty. But, before this, for decades we heard ‘garibi hatao‘ slogans, but couldn’t do it…” he said, “We didn’t give slogans to the poor… we gave real development. Till now, we have given four crore houses to the poor.”
“We have done so much for the poor… the President spoke about it at length in her speech. But those who do ‘photo ops’ in huts… they will find discussion on poor people boring,” he said, taking a AAP+Congress dig over senior leaders from both parties campaigning in Delhi’s poorer areas.
Gathering steam, the Prime Minister also fired a barb at one of his predecessors – the late Congress PM Rajiv Gandhi, who was sometimes referred to as ‘Mr Clean’ – declaring he had admitted that for every Re 1 of aid meant for the poor, they received only 25 paise, or less. Mr Modi claimed that in his administration, the poor were direct beneficiaries, thundering, “We deposited Rs 40 lakh crore directly.”