PM slams Congress on graft, doubts over airstrikes

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked the previous Congress-led UPA government, saying its leaders indulged in corruption and kept personal interests above national interests. He also took on the entire Opposition, saying they were chosen for a task by the people, but they failed to live up to their expectation.

The Prime Minister also targeted the Opposition over Balakot airstrikes, saying they are helping Pakistan by questioning the IAF’s action.

Addressing people who have pledged their support to the “Main Bhi Chowkidar” campaign across 500 locations through video conferencing, the Prime Minister indirectly hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying, “As a chowkidar, I will fulfil my responsibility. But, some people who have a narrow mind have stereotyped the image of a chowkidar.”

He was referring to Mr Gandhi’s repeated attacks on him with the “Chowkidar chor hai” jibe and calling the Prime Minister a watchman for the wealthy and the rich.

The Prime Minister alleged that while the previous government gave scams such as 2G spectrum allocation, Commo-nwealth Games, Bofors and AgustaWestland helicopter, his dispensation is moving about things in a very transparent manner.

Indirectly using the Balakot airstrikes and the anti-satellite missile test to showcase his government’s commitment to make the country stronger, the PM alleged that the previous government “lacked” the political will to test fire the anti-satellite missile despite the country having the capability.

The Prime Minister also said that his government has the political will to withstand pressure and take immediate decisions in national interests. “Delaying decisions of national interests amounts to criminal negligence,” he said at the launch of a news channel here.

Mr Modi alleged that the Opposition raked up all the wrong issues related to national security and sought proof of Balakot airstrikes, thus, questioning the armed forces. “Why seek proof... Why talk in favour of Pakistan,” he said without mentioning airstrikes or Balakot.

Hitting out at the Opposition for doubting the IAF’s airstrikes, Mr Modi said that those abusing him on Balakot airstrikes are helping Pakistan with their statements, he said even as he targeted Pakistan by saying that the neighbouring country is in a fix because if it acknowledges the air strikes, it will have to accept that there was terror camp there.

“They have been saying that there are no terror camps. Now they have to hide it. They are not allowing anybody to go there. We’ve been told Balakot area is being reconstructed by Pakistan to show that a school is being run there, so that people can be taken there and shown that no terror camp existed there,” he said.

Explain his logic behind approving the airstrikes, Mr Modi said he took the decision for Balakot airstrikes as he thought that “the game” should be played from where terrorism is being remote-controlled.

Without naming former Union minister P. Chidambaram, the Prime Minister said the Congress leader thinks he is very intelligent. “He said the A-Sat launch should have been kept a secret. By that yardstick, why was the Pokhran (nuclear test) not kept a secret (during Congress rule in 1974)... I can understand the visits to courts (in alleged cases of corruption) can be kept a secret,” he said, taking a dig.

Referring to black money, he said when his government was framing the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, he was under immense pressure from those who knew it would hit them hard.

“There used to be phone banking earlier. A phone call would go and banks would issue loans. Then more loans were issued to pay back the previous loans... We have changed that,” he said.