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Congress leaders today highlighted 10 key issues PM Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech skipped, which concern the nation, from fight against corruption, Pakistan sponsored terrorism, One Rank One Pension (OROP), and more – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi however, refused to play 'politics' today. Check out issues PM Modi preferred to remain mum about: (Text by PTI) (Image: Express Photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
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1. Congress leader Ambika Soni questioned Prime Minister Narendra for remaining silent all along on corruption by his ministers. She added, "Suddenly on August 15 he says there is no corruption. Nobody is going to believe him". (PTI)
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2. Ambika Soni also raked up the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues on which PM Modi had nothing to say during the monsoon session of Parliament and in his Independence Day address. She said, “We kept asking that if you want to break the logjam in Rajya Sabha, let the PM come and explain the steps he is planning to take or he has taken on the corruption scams which centred around Lalit Modi and disclosures which came on it and Vyapam. He did not show up there and has not opened his mouth.” (Express Photo by Neeraj Priyadarshi)
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3. Congress leaders accused PM Narendra Modi of having different definitions of corruption, one for political opponents and the other for his own leaders. Anand Sharma said, "I don't know what the Prime Minister's or BJP's definition of corruption is. There is one definition which they had for their political opponents and there is one definition which he has for his own people." (PTI)
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4. Ambika Soni also targetted PM Narendra Modi over why he did not talk about terrorism or express sorrow at the death of innocent people in Gurdaspur and Udhampur terror attacks. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
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5. Another party leader RPN Singh asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not talk about terrorism or foreign policy, including on ties with Pakistan. "The Prime Minister visits two nations every month. Why did he not speak anything on foreign policy or terrorism. He did not speak either on what kind of relations we will have with Pakistan, which he has only talked about during elections," he said. (PTI)
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6. Former Defence Minister A K Antony accused PM Narendra Modi of going back on his commitment to 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP). "In the budget of February 2014, UPA government announced that it is accepting OROP and it will be implemented on April 1, 2014 onwards with retrospective effect. Our government announced OROP and we took all the decisions to implement it. It was a question of completing certain formalities for calculating individual pension. After 15 months, no less than a person like the Prime Minister is saying we are accepting it in principle. It is going back. It is a total disappointment for the ex-servicemen community," he said reacting to the Prime Minister's comments on OROP. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
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7. Congress leaders alleged that the schemes enumerated by the Prime Minister in his speech from Red Fort were those started during UPA government. "What new thing has he stated. He has talked of two-three schemes, but I am sorry to say that those schemes were started by the Congress party during the UPA government," said Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. (PTI)
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8. Taking a dig at Jan-Dhan scheme, Congress leader Manish Tewari alleged that there was an "extortion paradigm" being set in place that money will be taken from the poorest of the poor and will be handed over to capitalists through the banking system. (Image:Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
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9. Former minister V Narayanasamy charged the CBI with favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and closing cases against them and said this is not good for the country. "After BJP government came to power, all cases against BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers are being closed. CBI is supporting BJP. This is not good for the country," he said. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
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10. Former Coal Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal said, "Why does the Prime Minister not tell that the Coal auction process was started by the UPA government." (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
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Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who unfurled the national flag at the AICC headquarters, refrained from making any comment on PM Narendra Modi's address. Party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, who has been unrelenting in launching attacks on Modi on various issues including corruption and land bill, said it was "not a day for politics", leaving it to the next line of leaders to launch the offensive. "Today is not a day of politics. We will talk tomorrow," Rahul Gandhi merely said to queries by reporters.(PTI)
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