Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today termed Narendra Modi as a "weak" Prime Minister whom Pakistan does not take seriously and unabated ceasefire violations by the neighbouring country are a testimony to it. He also alleged that the border skirmishes were highest since Modi assumed the office. Addressing a press conference, Azad said that ceasefire violations were reported in last 13 days in areas like Kathua, Samba and Jammu which Pakistan had never targeted since 1947.
"Similarly, according to the BSF Director General, weapons used by Pakistan were the ones from 1971 war," Azad said. He alleged that neither the prime minister nor any union minister had time to visit the civilians there who are fleeing, and offer them support and sympathy. "Modi remembered nationalism only before becoming prime minister and after that he has been canvassing for votes like a block or zilla parishad president," said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Launching a broadside against Modi who led the BJP's campaign in poll-bound Maharashtra by addressing scores of rallies, Azad said, "Whenever ceasefire violations were reported during the UPA rule, Modi tried to project us as villain and tried to create an impression that since Congress was weak, Pakistan attacks us." Castigating Modi for his barbs against Congress ahead of Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, Azad said ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been highest since Modi has taken over. "Modi would say that UPA government is not bothered about national security and thinks only about vote bank politics. He took oath as prime minister in front of the Pakistan PM and then there have been exchanges of shawl, sarees and mangoes.
Even Pakistan does not take Modi seriously because they know he only talks but does nothing," Azad lampooned. "The prime minister is a great actor. He can speak whatever he likes and conveniently forgets...Erosion of memory is very bad and not good for the country," Azad said while taking a dig. The former union minister said that the erstwhile UPA government was a "superstar" in terms of framing and implementing policies whereas Narendra Modi is only apt in marketing them "even in his sleep."
Referring to the setback suffered by BJP in the bypolls recently, Azad said, "(there) work is zero. The results of by-elections proved that Modi government had lost the trust of people after Lok Sabha elections."
On Congress' prospects in October 15 elections in Maharashtra, Azad said he had toured different parts of the state except Vidarbha in the last few days and the support for the party was good. "Despite little media coverage, we have succeeded in convincing people that the performance of UPA government and the Congress-led state government has been good in terms of education, health, infrastructure.
"We had failed to communicate our achievements earlier. In the last six months, only one man was heard. The only work done by Modi government since May was repackaging UPA policies and fooling people," Azad said. When asked about Congress' complaint to the Election Commission on BJP using Modi's Madison Garden Square speech in its ad campaign, Azad said it is upto the EC to take a decision. "We feel that such thing is objectionable as Modi visited the US as Prime Minister of India and not as a BJP leader," he added. Responding to a query on the removal of Shashi Tharoor as AICC spokesman, Azad said, "It's a party matter. One has to be spokesman of the party and not of self.
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