Guwahati, March 27: The ruling Congress in Assam today ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's homilies on corruption and pointed out corrupt individuals in the BJP's higher echelons in the state.
Modi yesterday addressed a series of election rallies in Upper and central Assam, and said his fight was not against chief minister Tarun Gogoi, "who will turn 90 soon", but against poverty and corruption. Gogoi, however, is 79.
"It will be better and sensible on the part of Prime Minister to look at some of his party leaders before accusing others of corruption . The BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, who was also a Union minister once, himself raised the issue of corruption against Himanta Biswa Sarma," AICC general secretary C.P. Joshi told reporters here.
Though Joshi did not spell out much on corruption charges against the BJP leaders, chief minister Tarun Gogoi, while addressing an election rally in Jorhat district this afternoon, said Himanta's name had allegedly figured in the Saradha and Louis Berger scandals, and asked how Sarma became so rich as a minister.
Sarma now heads the BJP's election management committee for the Assembly polls in the state.
Gogoi also ridiculed Himanta and Sonowal for touching the feet of national leaders. "We in the Congress don't touch the feet of our leaders," he said.
Joshi, who is also the AICC in-charge of Assam, said Modi reference to Gogoi's age during the rallies yesterday was in "bad taste".
Modi took a swipe at 79-year-old Gogoi who had called the Assembly election a direct fight between him and Modi, saying he could only pay his respects to the elderly leader.
Gogoi today countered Modi's comment on his advancing age, saying he was as enthusiastic as a young man. "I may be old, but my enthusiasm is not less than any young person. I need the blessings of the people. The more blessings we get, the more energy we will receive to continue working for people," Gogoi told a poll rally at his constituency Titabar.
Gogoi said, "The Prime Minister has alleged that I have not given the audit of the expenditure of the central funds yet. I want to ask him, as the Prime Minister of the country, why don't you take action against me for such crime? I do not hold any personal enmity with Modi. But I am against his false promises and injustice towards the state. My people has elected me to power to fight for the state. I have to raise my voice for my state and I have to protest if there is injustice," he said.
"The Prime Minister is for the rich whereas I am for the poor. He is definitely a very good actor. People love to see acting and that's why they listen to him. But that does not mean people trust him. Modi does not have the guts to fight against the injustice done by the rich. He can only harass poor guys like Rohit Vemula and Kanhaiya Kumar. Who wears a suit worth Rs 15 lakh? I have never seen such a suit," Godoi added.
"Does his (Modi's) party respect elderly leaders? Examples of the current status of the BJP's founder leaders like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi should be a point of introspection for Modi," Joshi said.
Joshi also ridiculed Modi for misinterpreting the meaning of Tinsukia district in Upper Assam. Modi while addressing a rally in Tinsukia yesterday said, "Our motive is to make Tinsukia Sukhiya (happy) in the true sense of the word. I have seen only dukhiya (poor) in Tinsukia."
According to Joshi, the true meaning of Tinsukia is not happy.
Assam PCC president Anjan Dutta said Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi would visit different places in Upper and central Assam between Tuesday and Thursday to campaign for the Congress candidates.
While Sonia Gandhi will address rallies in Amguri and Biswanath Chariali on March 30, Rahul will address rallies in Diphu, Sonai and Karimganj on Wednesday and in Digboi, Moran and Tezpur on Thursday.
