Modi criticises ex-Puducherry CM Narayanasamy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised former Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy stating that he had 'different priorities' than public welfare.

Puducherry:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress and its erstwhile government in Puducherry, saying the V Narayanasamy led dispensation had 'different priorities' than public welfare and flayed party leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent 'north-south' remarks.

Hitting out at the "Congress culture," he said, "Our colonial rulers had the policy of divide and rule. Congress has a policy of divide, lie and rule. Sometimes their leaders put region against region, community against community."

Speaking at the BJP rally in Las Pettai, Modi said that the next government in Puducherry would be people-centric. Criticising the mistranslation of Narayanasamy, he added that a helpless woman was complaining about the Puducherry government and Chief Minister's neglect during cyclone and floods. "One could see the pain in her eyes. One could hear the pain in her voice. Instead of telling the truth to the nation, the former Puducherry CM gave a wrong translation of the woman’s words. He lied to the people and his own leader. Can a party whose culture is based on lies ever serve people?" Modi asked.

During his Kerala visit on Tuesday, Gandhi had said he was used to a "different type of politics" in north India and coming to the southern state was "very refreshing" as people are interested in "issues".

Modi also expressed 'shock' over Gandhi's statement that there was no 'dedicated' fisheries ministry at the Centre, adding the NDA government had set it up in 2019 and that its budgetary allocation has substantially gone up ever since. Averring that the people of Puducherry did not deserve a "high command" government that would serve a few Congress leaders, Modi assured that the NDA government, if voted in the coming elections, would treat people as its high command.

With inputs from PTI