Should have given money to Maharashtra: Sachin Pilot

Congress leader and MP Sachin Pilot speaks during the press conference held at Gandhi Bhavan in Mumbai. (Photo: Shripad Naik)

Congress MP Sachin Pilot on Thursday demanded that the money the BJP was spending to celebrate its two years in power at the Centre should have been put to use in drought-hit Marathwada.

Mr Pilot came out with a report card of the Narendra Modi government to show that it has failed on all fronts.

“There will be third, fourth and fifth anniversaries ahead, as the BJP government has been chosen to govern for five years. But what is the party celebrating Instead of spending crores of rupees on celebrations and advertisements, the money should have been donated to the drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra. Mr Modi did not even visit the farmers once who are facing severe drought,” Mr Pilot said in a press conference held at the party office.

The former Congress MP claimed that since the BJP came to power, the country’s GDP had dwindled to five per cent and it had provided jobs to only 1,37,000 against the two crore per year that it had promised. Mr Pilot also said that exports were falling with every passing month. He even pointed out that despite the fall in crude oil prices in the international market, the Modi government has not reduced the prices. “The prices of crude oil have come down by 75 per cent in the last two years. But the price of petrol is still Rs 62 per litre and diesel Rs 52. The NDA government mopped up Rs 1 lakh crore by increasing the excise duty on petrol and diesel instead of slashing the prices,” Mr Pilot said.

Questioning the wrong policies of the government, the Congress MP said that the number of stalled projects too have increased from 676 to 893; these projects are worth upto Rs 11.36 lakh crore.

Recalling the Prime Minister’s assurances on non-tolerance towards corruption, the Congress leader asked why the PM was keeping mum on the alleged illegal mine allocation in Rajasthan.

“50 people have died in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh. If Virbhadra Singh could be summoned again and again by the CBI, they could at least summon (chief minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan once,” he said.

The Congress MP also asked Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse to step down from the post till the allegations against him are cleared.