Why is our oratorical eloquent PM still silent? Congress slams Modi over TN violence

The Congress today questioned the "silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Tuticorin firing incident in which 13 people were killed and asked whether he felt it was a fit case for the dismissal of the Tamil Nadu government.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi took a swipe at the prime minister saying while he tweets on every issue, he should "explain his silence" over the incident, which he described as a "deadly cocktail of central government complicity, police brutality, state government's apathy and corporate ruthlessness".

He said the incident was "a blot on India's face" and alleged it is the "polluted mind-set" of central and state governments which led to the situation.

"Why is our oratorical eloquent, 'treat a moment' Prime Minister yet silent, still silent on this terrible disaster? Not a word we all want to know and to use the word of those who tried to use the words nationalism on their sleeves, the nation wants to know," he told reporters.

"Prime Minister what is your opinion. Do you think that Tamil Nadu Government is fit' to be dismissed. We will wait for one or two days," he asked.
"Will the prime minister tell the nation that apart from giving so much of advice to the ruler of Tamil Nadu, apart from allowing coordinated disruption of Parliament from Tamil Nadu when it suits this government, is he of the view that the CM of Tamil Nadu is fit to be dismissed? Remember, the CM of Tamil Nadu is also the Home Minister of the state," he asked.

Violence broke out on May 22 in Tuticorin during protests demanding closure of Vedanta's Sterlite copper factory over pollution concerns, with police opening fire, resulting in the death of 13 people. The agitation has been going on for over three months for the closure of the factory.

Taking a dig at the prime minister, Singhvi said in the middle of his foreign tours, he has plenty of time to throw challenges and to throw counter-challenges.
"The fitness challenge has priority enough in his mind to respond but unfortunately the Prime Minister, Government of India, ruling party president you are all running on a treadmill but not getting anywhere," he said referring to the 'fitness challenge' from India's cricket captain Virat Kohli accepted by Modi on Twitter.

"You may be all fit for cameras or fit for Jumlas' but are you fit for governance, the answer is clearly 'no'. Because both the government and governance has retired hurt," the Congress leader said.
Singhvi highlighted that the UPA in 2013 made significant change of rules where industries could bypass public consultations only if the industrial parks they were to be built inside had environmental clearance.

"This was reversed by NDA Government in December 2014. The reversal meant that if a plant is located in an industrial zone, it requires no environmental clearance merely by the fact that it is located in an industrial zone - whether that zone has an environmental clearance or not, does not matter," he said, alleging that it was a significant change as it required clearance which has to be preceded by public consultation.

Singhvi alleged that the entire requirement of public consultation was done away with in December 2014 by the NDA Government. "Once you require no Environmental Clearance, you require no public consultations merely because you say that this smelter is located in an industrial zone." The Congress leader demanded that accountability be fixed on officials concerned and questioned why "not single person is suspended.

Singhvi also asked why the judicial inquiry by a retired judge has no time limit.

"Is your intent to ensure that it goes into the oblivion of public memory - no time limit? Of course, we are not at all satisfied with a mere inquiry... there should be some very strict narrow and short time limit. I hope this enquiry does not become as yet one of another one of its kind," the Congress spokesperson said.