BJP hits back at Sonia for criticising Modi govt

New Delhi: Hitting back at Sonia Gandhi for criticising Modi dispensation's 100 days rule, BJP today said the party has given a working government to the country with a strong Prime Minister and that the Congress president's speech writers have “not done their home work properly”.  

Taking on Narendra Modi, Gandhi had yesterday accused him of trying to “show off” as if everything has been done only after his government came to power and asked the Prime Minister what happened to his promise of bringing back the black money stashed abroad.

Reacting to Gandhi's attack, Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “I am pained to say that even after remaining out of power, Soniaji speech writers don't do home work. That is why she speaks sometime such things. She will realise her mistakes if she sees it in a mirror.”

Countering the charges on black money issue, Prasad said, “Your government could not form a SIT on black money in two years despite Supreme Court directives. We constituted SIT on the very first cabinet meeting. Now the entire world including Switzerland is ready to cooperate with us (on sharing information on black money).”

Making a comparison between the present government and the previous Congress regime, he said Sonia's government was only “making tall claims while Modi's government is working government where decisions were made and implemented.” Prasad further claimed that the Congress PM was a weak one while BJP has given a strong PM to the country.  “Soniaji your government has given a weak PM and no one including the party or any minister were listening to him. BJP has given a strong PM.

“India today has a towering leader, a powerful PM whose voice is heard not only in the country but in the entire world over with respect and admiration because of his track record of governance,” he said.

Sharpening his attack on the Congress president, Prasad said, “Soniaji's problem is that why decisions are being made from 7 Race Course Road (PM residence) and why there has not been any national advisory council? Why there has not been any 10 Janpath (Gandhi residence)?”

During an election campaign in Haryana, Gandhi had accused the Modi government of hijacking policies of previous Congress regimes and urged the people not to get swayed by “hollow promises”. She also accused BJP of rechristening the schemes of the UPA and presenting them before people after having criticised the same during its regime.  Reacting to this, Prasad posed counter questions to her as to why Congress was routed if their governance was so good.  

“If everything was right then why did you lose so badly?” “People of the country wants to know the answer from Sonia Gandhi if all your programmes were so good they why your party fared so miserably in the elections?,” he asked.  “In your government people were talking much but very little work used to be done. Now it is different as the government is working and there is no corruption,” he said.  

Claiming that India has become a country of renewed hope under Modi's leadership, Prasad said, “It is now trusted and feted the world over. Soniaji, your government had created an atmosphere of frustration in the country. Modi has given a new hope. He does not shout, he works.”

“India's rating was down, now it has gone up after Modi became PM,” Prasad added.

Quoting Modi's speech, he said those who do not work for 60 years are now asking why nothing has been done in 60 days.  He also asked Gandhi as to what steps had been taken during Congress regime for poor and farmers and highlighted the success of the NDA government's Jan Dhan scheme.  

“What had your government done for poor and farmers in the budget? About four crore people opened their bank accounts in a week's time under the Jan Dhan Yojana. Petrol prices have been reduced three times in the last three months.  Inflation rates are coming down now.”

Referring to the ‘Make in India' programme launched by the Modi government, he said, “even Indian industrialists were not ready to invest in India during your time, while now foreigners are coming to invest here. This is the difference between your and our government.”