This is a U-turn sarkar: Congress

The Narendra Modi government does one U-turn a week, said the Congress while releasing a “charge-sheet” against the Centre here on Monday.

The BJP-led government retorted by saying the Congress has become an irresponsible opposition party struggling for its own existence.

Congress general secretary Ajay Maken told reporters, after releasing a booklet titled 6 Maheene Paar, U Turn Sarkar , that there are at least 25 instances to prove that the BJP changed its stand as a ruling party.

“This government has made 25 U-turns in the last around 180 days. That’s an average of one U-turn every seven to eight days,” he said.

When in the Opposition, the BJP had opposed the land swapping agreement with Bangladesh and insisted that operators should not be made responsible for nuclear damages, he pointed out.

Maken asked the BJP to explain the change of stand and apologise to the people for their ‘irresponsible opposition’ to the decisions taken by the Centre.

“Under pressure from the big companies the Centre is now going to amend the Civil Nuclear Liability Act,” he said, citing media reports.

Maken added that when the UPA government was trying to enter into an international agreement with the Bangladesh, the BJP had opposed it on legal and diplomatic grounds.

“Will (Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley tell the people now how the land swapping deal with Bangladesh has suddenly become legally and diplomatically tenable?” he asked.

He added that the government is consistently making U-turns on several issues. “This is a U-turn sarkar,” Maken said.

He added that on issues such as black money, relationship with China and Pakistan, Insurance Bill, alliance with the NCP, minimum government and probity and public life, the BJP did the exact opposite of what it had been preaching during the general election campaign.

The Modi government stands out for three simple characteristics: U-turn on promises, mere renaming and plagiarising UPA’s programmes and schemes, and decisions that involve selling out national interests for the benefit of friendly corporate houses,” Maken said.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu ridiculed the stand of the Congress. He asked the party to have some patience and give some time for the government to work. He said the booklet has raised questions on the basis of some speeches.

“The Congress is out of focus, confused, panicked, worried about its relevance. Our government will deliver on all fronts,” he said.

The Minister further urged the Congress to do an introspection. “Leadership has come back, the governance has come back, confidence has come back,” he said about the NDA government.

“They have not learnt lessons from their (electoral) defeat. They are only trying to create some space in the media. They should get space for good things,” he said.

“Decades of Congress rule left India in a very bad shape. To expect miraculous changes in just six months would be unjust,” he added.

Venkaiah said the Narendra Modi government will take forward some initiatives of the UPA government such as Aadhaar.

The Congress had given the slogan Garibi Hatao (Remove Poverty) in the early 1970s. “Did it increase or decrease poverty?” he asked.

“I want a constructive opposition. It has a space. We are ready to accommodate it,” he said.

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