PM should have used the moment to salute the late prime minister Indira Gandhi as was the anniversary of the surrender of Pakistan army, said Tiwari

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday said PM Modi’s address at Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency, was his “farewell speech after being shaken by the BJP’s 5-0 defeat” in the just-concluded assembly elections. Instead of making “serial misleading statements”, the PM should have used the moment to salute the late prime minister Indira Gandhi, who too represented Raebareli in Parliament, as December 16 was the anniversary of the surrender of Pakistan army after its defeat in the 1971 war, which led to the formation of Bangladesh, the Congress said.

AICC spokesperson Pramod Tiwari said: “It was Modi’s farewell speech as he knows the writing on the wall after the BJP’s 5-0 defeat in the assembly elections. Also, as December 16 happens to be the anniversary of the surrender of Pakistan army in 1971 after the Indira Gandhi government courageously sent Indian Army to liberate Bangladesh, Modi ji should have saluted and paid respects to Indira and the Army from Raebareli. It was Indira ji’s courageous leadership that changed the history and geography of the world. But, Modi ji didn’t do that because of his hatred for Pandit Nehru and Indira ji. He chose to act in a manner that brought no respect to the post he holds.”

Maintaining that Raebareli and Amethi constituencies can never be dented by the BJP due to the works done by the Gandhis there, Tiwari accused the Modi government of systematically halting or curbing all development projects there due to his opposition to the Gandhis. “No wonder, a section of audience started protesting and walking out when PM Modi made a series of factually wrong statements at Raebareli. In fact, Modi ji now deserves to be called Mr misleading expert. A section of the coach factory that Modi ji inaugurated and the road that he opened were parts of projects planned and brought by Sonia Gandhi and the UPA regime. The Modi government was only halting or curbing them. We want to know when will Modi bring his government’s own projects to Raebareli.”