Narendra Modi attacks UPA Govt to hide his own `failures': Sanjay Nirupam

Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had been attacking the ruling coalition at the Centre to hide his own "failures" and questioned the BJP Government's commitment to farmer welfare in the state.

Modi had been attacking the Congress-led UPA Government to hide his own administration's "failure" in resolving problems being faced by people of Gujarat, he said, addressing a convention organised by Congress as part of its campaign for the Assembly election at Anand near here.

Nirupam said "7,000 farmers had committed suicide in Gujarat but Modi has not bothered to utter a word of sympathy for them or give compensation to their families."

The MP from Mumbai questioned the Modi Government's claim of success on various fronts during the last 10 years.

Ten lakh applications of farmers seeking electricity connections for irrigation purposes had been pending and nearly one million youths are unemployed, he said.

"What sort of development is taking place in Gujarat? The number of below poverty line (BPL) families has increased by more than 7 lakh after Modi came to power 11 years ago."

Modi also failed to deliver on his 2007 promise to provide two lakh houses to people every year, Nirupam said.

Nirupam criticised the Chief Minister for not appointing Lokayukta for the past 8 years. Modi feared that if the anti-corruption ombudsman was appointed, scams taking place in Gujarat would get exposed, he said.