MODI CHALLENGES SINGH TO DEBATE
Friday, 16 August 2013 | Nayan Dave | GANDHINAGAR
Wearing the famous red Kutchi turban, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday challenged another man in a turban, Manmohan Singh, to a debate on development and governance.
Modi threw the gauntlet to the Prime Minister, who addressed the nation from the iconic Red Fort on the occasion of the 67th Independence Day, from the bordering Kutch district of Gujarat. “Let a debate be held on the development work of the Gujarat Government and the Government sitting in Delhi.”
Though it was an Independence Day function in Gujarat, Modi made it a point to speak in Hindi at Lalan College in Bhuj. His speech began exactly an hour after that of Manmohan Singh.
In front of a 30,000-strong crowd and representatives of the national media, he slammed the Central Government on issues ranging from national security to food security.
Launching a blistering attack on Manmohan Singh over national security, BJP's campaign committee chief said that the speech from Red Fort is important to inspire security forces, but the Prime Minister failed to do so as it didn't give tough message to Pakistan.
“Our national security is under threat. The Government at the helm failed to curb Chinese intrusion. Pakistani soldiers beheaded our jawans. Even Italian Marines killed our fishermen. What is our Government doing?” he asked, criticizing the Prime Minister for his feeble response to provocation from Pakistan and China.
Modi remarked that the President had sent a strong message to Pakistan, asking it not to “test the limit of India's patience” during his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day. “But, the Prime Minister did not utter a single word about this,” he said.
“The Prime Minister in his speech mentioned the same issues and problems that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru talked about as the first Prime Minister of the country from the same venue (Red Fort). So, what have the Congress-led Governments been doing for almost 60 years?” he said.
“In his speech Manmohan Singh skipped leaders like Sardar Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri as if he is loyal to a single family,” said Modi. He also covered issues of rampant corruption in the UPA Government, the sliding rupee, plight of poor people and delay in development work.
“Mr Prime Minister, you have referred to former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao while talking about the prevailing economic conditions of the country. But I want to ask you who is responsible for the way our Rupee is getting devalued, the way it is heading towards a crisis,” he said.
“Suppose we don't immediately fix the responsibility, but at least you could have told the nation how you will strengthen the rupee, what economic steps would be taken. Instead you blamed it on global recession and said India cannot be left untouched by global recession,” Modi said.
Referring to concerns raised by President Pranab Mukherjee on corruption, Modi said: “The President of India has expressed deep concern over corruption. He expressed his pain over it in his speech on Wednesday. It would have been better if something had been said on corruption from the Red Fort as well.”
“Prime Ministerji, it is your duty to respect the feelings and concerns of Rashtrapatiji, but this did not happen today,” he said.
“Why can't we launch a war against corruption and attack the roots of corruption. Doesn't the country need an answer? Will the countrymen not seek an answer?” he asked.
“I don't want to talk in political language, but I want to say that corruption is the core issue before the nation right now. It's our country's pain, it's our agony,” he said.
“Nepotism used to be the core of corruption in olden days' TV serials... With passage of time it has changed, a new TV serial of mama and bhanja came in corruption and now it's moving towards a serial of saas, bahu and damaad,” Modi said in an apparent reference to former Railway Minister PK Bansal and his nephew's alleged involvement in a scam as well as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra's dubious land deals.
“Our country is being destroyed by corruption and those ruling the country. Their families are neck deep in it (corruption). Until the Supreme Court raps them, they continue to remain mum and continue managing it,” Modi alleged apparently targeting the Gandhi family.
“Therefore, the President's speech calls for introspection from everyone and this concern should come from the top,” he said.
President Mukherjee had on Wednesday said: “Corruption has become a major challenge. The precious resources of the nation are being wasted through indolence and indifference. It is sapping the dynamism of our society. We need to correct this regression.”
Modi also raised the issue of disruption of Parliament by the ruling party in his speech.“If the Opposition party tries to raise its voice it is understood in a democracy, but the concern is, that for the first time in the country, the ruling party is not letting the Lok Sabha function and is putting obstacles in its functioning,” he said.
Taking about on-line war Modi said that a Congress brigade is busy targeting him in the cyber world. “Don't they have a world beyond Modi? At least on Independence Day, they can sing the national anthem.”
http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/modi-challenges-singh-to-debate.html
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