Baru’s book on PM is ammo for Modi
MUMBAI/JAIPUR: The book on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by his former media advisor Sanjaya Baru on Saturday provided ammunition for BJP leader Narendra Modi to target Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Addressing a rally at Pune in support of party candidate Anil Shirole, Modi referred to Baru’s book The Accidental Prime Minister and sought answers
■ from Gandhi on allegations that she handled the government files before the PMO did.
“A book released yesterday has made one of the biggest revelations. It claims Sonia Gandhi used to clear the central government’s files. Government appointments, ministerial portfolios, transfers, etc., were being decided by her and then cleared by the PM without applying his mind,” Modi said.
He added: “The institution of PM had been degraded. Sonia has remained silent even 24 hours after the revelations in the book. She should answer the charges as people want to know. We had heard about remote control but in this case the remote itself was running the government.” Modi felt no country would accept India’s constitutional authority if the institution of PM was devalued like this.
“The book also explains the intemperate action of ‘shehzada’ (Rahul Gandhi tearing off the ordinance on conviction of elected representatives) which was approved by the cabinet and PM,” he said.
Terming the contents of the book as ‘serious charges made by a PMO insider’ Modi said the prime minister’s author ity as chairman of Planning Commission too was eroded with the setting up of the National Advisory Council, which kept him in the dark while taking decisions.
Earlier at Barmer in Rajasthan, Modi avoided speaking about expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh even though the latter had disapproved of his larger-than-the-party image. Modi just made a passing reference towards the stance taken by SIngh who is contesting as an independent from Barmer constituency.
“There are leaders who do not show their faces for five years and suddenly come to people at the time of election asking for votes,” he said while addressing a rally at Pachpadra in Barmer. Modi also refrained from seeking votes for BJP candidate Sonaram Chaudhary and even did not mention him in his 38 minutes speech.