The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using government programmes for BJP’s propaganda. What has irked the Congress is the speech made by Modi at the Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan in Varanasi where he said there was no effort in the past to curb corruption.

Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters that if the mindset of the Prime Minister is unhealthy, it is a matter of grave national concern. “The Prime Minister is the principal propagandist of the BJP. He is travelling the country and using government resources and the machinery for government programmes, schemes and inauguration, but he cannot use public money and resources to address his party meeting and to engage in political propaganda, which is berating the opposition party,” Sharma said.

Sharma said Modi has repeatedly undermined the dignity of his office. “He is the first Prime Minister who has the dubious distinction of dragging the political discourse to a gutter level. There are questions to be asked of this Prime Minister. We have strong objection to what he has said in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas today (Tuesday). He has been misleading the people of India, but, it was a shocking list of boastful claims typical of Modi. If one has to go by his claims, India came to be recognised only after he became the Prime Minister,” Sharma said.

The former commerce minister said if Modi’s claim on manufacturing is true, how come the country is losing jobs. “If we were manufacturing very well, then why there are no exports, why industrial capacity is not utilised and why investments are not taking place. Why there is flight of capital from the country? Has Modi explained?” Sharma asked.

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