Cong, BJP spar as Modi’s overseas remarks spark row

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 17

The Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of undermining the country by describing it as a “beggar” in Germany and “Scam India” in Canada, triggering a sharp reaction from the BJP.

Launching an all-out attack on the PM, the Congress claimed he (Modi) was suffering from an “unhealthy mindset” and was used to “misleading people”.

Senior party spokesperson Anand Sharma said: “PM’s statements are an insult to all Indians. What did he mean when he said (in Germany) India no longer begs before the world? Was India begging before he became the PM? Even in Canada the PM misled people by saying he had inherited scam India. The truth is he has inherited a strong economy.”

“The problem is while on foreign soil Modi forgets he is the PM and not an RSS preacher. He is suffering from an unhealthy mindset and his claims on foreign soil are falling flat,” said Sharma. He said the party would officially send its spokespersons to countries Modi visits in order to counter his propaganda. Sharma was countered by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra who accused the Congress of being “elitist”. “They cannot tolerate the fact that a person with humble beginnings has taken the world by storm and has risen to the top position in India,” Patra said. The Congress’ principal attack on the PM centred around two points – the first, he mocked all past PMs and governments by saying India no longer begs before the world; the second – he claimed in Canada that he was the first Indian PM to visit that country in 42 years.
“That is false. The fact is former PM Manmohan Singh had a bilateral visit to Canada in June of 2010 and Mr Singh along with the Canadian PM Stephen Harper signed a joint statement during that visit. Considering the PM has been repeatedly making misleading statements and undermining the opposition, we have decided that a Congress spokesperson will be available in the country he visits so that the truth can be asserted; so that when he calls India a scam ridden country, we can recall for him the great achievements of our land,” Sharma said.
The Congress also issued a copy of the joint statement signed between Manmohan Singh and Harper in June 2010 though the BJP later trashed Congress’ move saying the visit of June 2010 was actually a G-20 visit and a bilateral was clubbed alongside that visit.
Patra defended the PM on the issue and said PM Modi’s visit was very much the first “stand alone” visit of any Indian PM to Canada which Singh’s visit in 2010 was not.

Modi misled Obama: Cong
Responding to US President Barack Obama’s recent article in the Time magazine praising Modi, Anand Sharma said the PM had managed to “mislead even the US President”. “PM Modi has mastered the art of misleading people, making false statements and boastful claims. He has done that nationally and now done that internationally. He has managed to mislead the US President into believing that he is a great reformer whereas the truth is he has cut Budget allocations across critical social welfare sectors,” Anand Sharma said.