A strong govt. comes from propeople policies: Cong.
A strong and stable government comes from policies and programmes that address concerns of the people, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has nothing to offer to farmers and the working class, the Congress said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, party general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh hit out at Mr. Modi, who had said on Sunday at the launch of the BJP’s manifesto that a “strong and stable government needs to be elected in an uncertain world”.
“Such words were used in the runup to the 2014 election but people saw through them. This election is to elect a strong and stable government, not for reelecting a demagogue,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“A Prime Minister who has nothing to say on farmers’ issues, nothing to say on unemployment, someone who refuses to talk about workers, social justice, and empowerment, is making a pitch for strong and capable government. The question is strong and capable for what?” asked Mr. Ramesh.
Asked to respond to how the BJP’s manifesto talks about increasing investments, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Mr. Ramesh said that while private investment was 32% of the GDP during the Manmohan Singh government, it had come down to 28% under the present regime.
The Congress leader also said that his party’s manifesto laid down the agenda for different sections and that had “rattled the Prime Minister who is using language that is unbecoming of a PM”.
“These are all signs of a desperate and a nervous Prime Minister... We [Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance] will get a clear, convincing and beyonddoubt majority,” Mr. Ramesh said.
The Congress communication chief asserted that he had just come back from an extensive election tour of the Northeast and there was a strong undercurrent for his party.
“So the most important issue in the Northeast is the preservation of religious diversity, linguistic diversity, food diversity.,” Mr. Ramesh said.