Navjot Sidhu
Punjab Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the saffron party has given India “three Modis--Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and the one sitting in Ambani’s lap Narendra Modi.”
“Congress gave us four Gandhis, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. BJP gave us 3 Modis, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and the one sitting in Ambani’s lap Narendra Modi,” news agency ANI quoted Sidhu as saying at a public meeting in Kota, in the poll-bound Rajasthan.
The legislative assembly election in Rajasthan is scheduled to be held on 7 December 2018 to elect members of the assembly. The election will be held in a single phase. In the last state polls in 2013, BJP had won a majority.
On Saturday also, Sidhu attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said even the “watchman’s dog” was into stealing. Addressing an election rally at Khairthal in Alwar district, Sidhu alleged corruption in the Modi government’s deal with France to purchase 36 Rafale military aircraft, a charge repeatedly denied by the Centre.
He claimed the plane worth Rs 500 crore was being bought for Rs 1,600 crore. The crowd chanted, “chowkidar chor hai” (the watchman is a thief).
The slogan was given by Gandhi who had earlier mocked Modi’s claim that he will act like “watchman” against graft in the country.
“Even the watchman’s dog is involved,” Sidhu then said. He claimed the BJP government’s 'Make in India' slogan had not yielded results, saying the government had a deal on Rafale with France and on the bullet train with Japan.
He claimed the Sardar Patel statue recently installed in Gujarat was “bought from China”.
“Will the people of the country fry pakodas?” he said. Sidhu said he will quit politics if his allegations are proved false.
“You have broken the back of farmers. You do not belong to the poor farmers but to Ambani and Adani. You have become puppet of the industrialists,” Sidhu charged, targeting Modi.
He also lashed out at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. “The maharani is sitting in the fort and ruling the state,” he said. He said women are not safe in the state which records a high number of rapes.
(With inputs from agencies)
