New Delhi: The Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi saying citizens of the country should become 'Atma Nirbhar' and find solutions to their problems on their own as the Prime Minister was busy with Karnataka polls. The PM, who has been campaigning across the state over the past few days, is set to stage a mega roadshow in Bengaluru on Saturday. The 40 km long roadshow is likely to cover the entire city and cause traffic snarls across the capital for which the local administration has issued advisories for the residents.
“The Prime Minister has never bothered to solve the issues of the country. Manipur is burning and he is campaigning in Karnataka. The PM never bothered to visit Karnataka when there were floods or gave any special relief package. Now, when elections have come, he is spending days in the state. For him, winning elections is more important than running the country,” senior Karnataka Congress leader Prakash Rathod told ETV Bharat.
“In comparison, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was very dignified. He would address one or two rallies in state polls. No one is saying the PM should not campaign, but he also has to run the country,” he said. According to Rathor, “The PM is a showman. When the 2019 Pulwama terror attack took place, he was busy shooting for a wildlife documentary. In fact, he should get an Oscar award as he will beat Amitabh Bachchan in acting any day.”
The Congress leader further stated that “the PM campaigning in the Karnataka polls extensively also showed that the state BJP was entirely dependent on him and lacked local leaders of stature.” “The Union Cabinet is being run the same way. The ministers hardly have a say and all decisions are taken by one man,” pointed out Rathor.
Senior Congress leader and former junior union minister for home affairs Ajay Maken wondered “How could the PM ignore Manipur.” “There are shoot-at-sight orders in a northeast state, which means the PM should be in New Delhi to monitor the situation. Is campaigning to gain votes more important for PM Modi than addressing the crisis in a burning state,” said Maken.
“How can the PM be away from Delhi for three consecutive days to campaign in Karnataka and disturb the southern state when Manipur is burning? Manipur is a very important state for the country strategically. Don’t they have local leaders, who can take care of state polls,” he said. “It shows the misplaced priorities of the Central government,” Congress media head Pawan Khera said.
The Congress also tweeted a national advisory saying “In view of the PM’s Saturday visit to Bengaluru for the Karnataka elections, citizens of other states, regardless of which party they voted for, are requested to govern themselves. The following issues will remain unaddressed until vote counting concludes on May 13. Manipur burning, wrestlers' protest, Poonch terror attack, crony capitalism, economic slowdown, law and order, rising unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, unchecked price rise and corruption.”
