Govt baiter: Arun Shourie. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government has wished away former BJP union minister Arun Shourie's criticism of its economic policies as his personal views.
“Shourie-ji’s views are not of the people or the party,” Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said at a press conference here, adding that those were his personal views.
“We are a democracy; he (Shourie) has his opinion, but the country’s opinion is different,” Naidu said.
The central government had been doing well and people know about the challenges it had inherited, the minister said.
On Monday, in a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government, BJP leader Arun Shourie said: “There was never a weaker Prime Minister’s Office than now.”
“Dr Singh ko log yaad karne lag gaye hain (People have begun recalling the days of Manmohan Singh). One way to characterise policies of the government is ‘Congress plus a cow’. Policies are the same,” Shourie said at a book launch function.
“Some people may have made comments here or there but they have been disowned by the party, disowned by the government,” Naidu said.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said he agreed with BJP leader Arun Shourie that Narendra Modi was the “weakest” prime minister India has seen.
A day after Shourie said “there was never a weaker PMO than now”, Gogoi said: “I fully agree with Shourie.
“Modi was so vocal on so many issues in the past. However, when the country is passing through the worst of religious intolerance, why is Modi so silent?” Gogoi asked at a press conference.
The chief minister also pulled up Modi for what he said was his failure to fulfill his election promises.
“The prime minister promised creation of jobs. But they (government) have failed to create jobs. Now they divert the issues,” he said.
Gogoi also slammed the Modi government for failing to check the rising prices of dal and other food items.
He also attacked Modi for not releasing Rs.1,200 crore promised to Assam to overcome the destruction caused by floods.
“We are not receiving what is due to us. This is affecting developmental activities in the state,” he said.
He said the BJP had no grassroots presence in Assam and that’s why it was relying on leaders “imported” from other parties. (IANS)