Deploring the loose language used against him by members of the Congress’s ruling family, Narendra Modi challenged the party president and vice president to answer his queries on big ticket corruption cases and face the nation on the myriad issues arising from the misgovernance of the past ten years.
Reaching out to citizens in over 125 centres via 3D technology in the midst of the most punishing electoral outreach by any leader in independent India, the BJP’s Prime Ministerial contender said that these days the mother-son team are touring Gujarat and competing with each other to see who tells more lies and bigger lies. The filthy language being used by members of the dynasty reflects the immensity of their panic, he said, and demanded that they answer certain specific questions on corruption in high places, some of which had reached their doorstep.
In the past week, he informed his audience, the Supreme Court and the Gujarat High Court have given certain very momentous decisions, which have basically been ignored by the media and received some small attention in the social media alone. Other very important matters have also come to light, but have been mainly suppressed after minimal coverage, he lamented.
The first case pertains to a racehorse owner in Pune (Hasan Ali) who was caught some years ago and black money to the tune of thousands of crores detected. Thereafter, the Gujarat veteran charged, the ma-beta sarkar swung into action to somehow save this man, who received bail, and nothing was heard of the case thereafter. But as luck would have it, the Supreme Court got angry and suddenly reopened the case and demanded that the Government of India act on the issue of illegal money. The Court directed that the Government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter, and get the details about illegal wealth stashed abroad, but a year passed and the Government of India did not move an inch. Now, two days ago, the Supreme Court cracked the whip and directed the UPA to move in the matter. It is unfortunate, he said, that the media has failed to give this matter the attention it deserves.
The second issue pertains to raids by the Income Tax department on a large meat exporter. In over 300 hours of surveillance, it transpires that many persons in high places have discussed the transfer of huge sums of money abroad through the hawala route, using the services of this man. One of the persons who discussed financial matters with this man is close to 10 Janpath, according to sources. “Madam Sonia ji, that is your address. Who is this friend whom the Income Tax department is talking about? The nation should know”, Narendra Modi insisted.
Further escalating his tirade against the ruling party in a bid to tilt the scales in favour of his friend and party colleague Arun Jaitley, the Gujarat strongman said that an objection was filed with the Election Commission some time ago, stating that the former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had suppressed information regarding foreign bank accounts held by his wife and son in Geneva. These accounts, which reportedly hold thousands of crores of rupees, he charged, were opened during the time that the Captain was the Chief Minister. He wondered why the media and the Election Commission were both silent, despite the seriousness of the charges.
It may be pointed out in this regard that even Captain Amarinder Singh and his family members, i.e., his wife and son who are directly accused of having secret accounts in the paradise of illegal wealth, have not responded to the allegations. Even the Congress has neatly dodged the issue.
Tossing allegations of his government favouring corporates back at the Congress, the Gujarat Chief Minister said that two days ago, the Gujarat High Court rejected a public interest litigation against a loan given to the Tatas for the Nano plant in Sanand district, on grounds that the State Government’s industrial policy was fair and equally applicable to all who wished to avail of its benefits; there were no undue favours nor any loss to the public. “It was your party that went to the court, and you got a karara jawab (sharp riposte)”, he thundered. He lamented that the media had largely ignored this development.
Warning the Congress vice president against crossing certain red lines in public discourse, Narendra Modi said, “You are crossing your maryada (limits). Rahul bhaiya, listen carefully, you have nothing to show for the last 10 years of your mother’s sarkar; just ganda bayanbazi (dirty declamations) will not do”.
Urging Rahul Gandhi to control his outbursts, the BJP veteran warned him not to run away and to give an explanation for the crippling price rise, joblessness of the youth, the fact that farmer suicides are higher than the casualties in war or terrorism, and so on. “Your government gave a Vidarbha package; what happened to it? Why are farmers still dying?” he taunted. Mocking the continuous evasiveness of the Congress’s ruling family, he said that if one talks of corruption, he (Rahul Gandhi) says RTI; if one talks of price rise, he says Secularism; or he says ‘Modi is lying’.
India, he averred, has woken up to its spiritual energy once again, and after another month the Congress will need to find answers for its rout. The response he (Modi) received at Kashi has caused the Congress leaders to lose their mental balance. When asked by the media if the BJP aandhi (wave) has indeed become a tsunami, they say that a tsunami brings disaster! Narendra Modi thundered that the results would indeed ring the death knell of those who have ruined the nation in the past decade, “After May 16, duniya dekhegi” (the world will witness).
Lamenting the exclusion of lakhs of citizens from the voters list in Mumbai, Narendra Modi said that the Election Commission must take care that this does not happen again, but urged citizens to be more vigilant and check their names in advance. Thus ruling out the BJP seeking re-election there, he said the nationwide high voter turnout has infused new life in our democracy and reflects the fact that this election is about hope, about dreams and aspirations that have been trampled upon for 10 years; that have not seen the light of day for 60 wasted years. That is why, he emphasised, the elections are particularly critical for the youth in the age group of 18 to 28 years, and for the future generations.
Recalling his visit to Varanasi to file his nomination papers two days ago (April 24), Narendra Modi said he felt very emotional to be in the lap of Mother Ganga; his mind moved away from politics and he was overwhelmed by the love showered by the people. Politicians cannot appreciate this, he observed, adding that his rivals became so unhappy that they lost their sleep and descended to the level of the gutter … But the credit for what happened in Varanasi, he said, does not belong to him but goes to Kashi and its Ganga-Yamuna tehzeeb (culture), its sanskritic heritage; the way the city exalted him (sar ankhon par) made it the most momentous event of his life, he mused.
Despite this, when the Prime Minister was asked after casting his vote if there was indeed a ‘Modi wave’, said ‘there is no wave’. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi pointed out, is not standing for elections, and many senior Ministers are also not contesting; where once there used to be a mad rush for the Congress ticket, now big leaders are running away. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi said, could not see the price rise, the poor hungry children, the ministers who went to jail, the uncle-nephew scam, 2G, coal scam, helicopter scam, there was so much corruption that he could not see, so how could he see a ‘wave’?
The book, The Accidental Prime Minister, he emphasised, explains that the Prime Minister never needed to see anything because the ma-beta ran the government. Consoling the Prime Minister for this state of affairs, Modi said that the BJP has no complaints against Manmohan Singh; he should retire in peace and enjoy his escape from the clutches of the mother-son duo.
Niticentral.com, 26 April 2014
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/04/26/modi-challenges-dynasty-to-face-nation-216949.html