Vijayapura: Virtually accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being all talk and no substance, Congress president, Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday admitted he was a good orator, but demanded to know if his speeches helped fill hungry stomachs in the country.
Appealing to Mr Modi to “stop fooling people by delivering hollow speeches one after another,” the UPA chairperson, who arrived in Vijaypura a few hours after the PM for a campaign rally here, hit out at him further saying, “I agree that Modi has the ability to deliver speeches. But I would like to ask him whether his speeches help fill people’s stomachs. If they did I would want him to continue giving more and more speeches.”
Mrs Gandhi told the huge gathering of people, who had turned out to hear her, that Mr Modi needed to understand that speeches did not fill stomachs but rice and curry.
“Modi’s speeches can’t cure the ailing as they need hospitals and medicines. Modi’s speeches can’t empower women and youth as you need a leader to implement effective programmes. Only speeches can’t find a solution to the grave problems which farmers in the country are facing today. To find a solution to country's problems, a leader should have firm resolve to implement programmes effectively,” she said.
Mrs Gandhi claimed that people across the country were shocked at the way the Prime Minister repeatedly distorted Indian history.
“Unfortunately, the Prime Minister uses even freedom fighters for his political gain. I want to ask you does this give any grace to a Prime Minister?” she demanded.
“Modi is possessed by the ghost of a Congress-mukt Bharat, which he repeatedly shouts in his speeches. Mr Modi would not stand anybody in front of him for that matter,” she added.
Firing a volley of questions at the Prime Minister, she asked why he had failed to fulfill the promises made before being elected to power such as creating jobs for the unemployed youth and what measures he had taken to provide security to women, children and the vulnerable.
“Despite being in office for four years, Modi has not brought in the Lokpal Bill. And Modiji is yet to clarify which model he has with him to remove corruption. He should make it clear whether he wants to adopt the model of a gang of corrupt leaders surrounding him in Karnataka or that of his best friend’s son (Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah) to fight corruption,” she asked with sarcasm.
Mrs Gandhi lauded the efforts of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the overall development of the state and accused the Union government of being stepmotherly in its treatment of Karnataka.
“Farmers in the state are fighting a drought, but when Siddaramaiah asked for an appointment to meet Modi to discuss it, he did not even have the courtesy to meet him,” she deplored, wondering if this was what the Prime Minister meant when he promised “sabka saat sabka vikas”.
