If Sonia, Rahul guilty in 2G, they should have been in jail: Adhir Chowdhury
New Delhi: The BJP came back to power as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "very big salesman" while the Congress failed to market its product in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Monday.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, Chowdhury launched a scathing attack on the government and Prime Minister Modi, with the Chair ordering expunging of some of his comments, considered unparliamentary.
"Our Prime Minister is a very big salesman. We (Congress) have been unable to sell our product, that is why we lost (Lok Sabha elections)," he said. Taking a swipe at Union minister Pratap Sarangi, who had initiated the discussion, he said Sarangi crossed limits in his praise of Modi, inviting sharp reactions from the treasury benches as they referred to "India is Indira, Indira is India" remarks made by Congress leaders when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.
Chowdhury said his party does not to criticise the President.
"We want to lambast government for its failure on various issues," he said. Targeting the Modi government, Chowdhury said the country is reeling under drought, but the government is not worried. He said BJP MPs did not take steps to alleviate miseries of the people as they think Modi will do everything.
"They think that praising Modi is sufficient, he will help them sail through (Modi baba par lagayenge),"he said. Chowdhury also reminded NDA members that several infrastructure projects were initiated by successive Congress governments.
He said several major public sector undertakings (PSUs) were also set up under the Congress rule.
Chowdhury alleged the BJP government renamed several schemes initiated by the Congress government to benefit the poor.
Hitting back at the BJP for alleging a scam in the sale of 2G spectrum, he said if there was a wrongdoing why were UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi not in jail. "Why are they still in Parliament", he quipped. He also dubbed the ruling dispensation as a "compliment- addicted government."
"Did you manage to catch anybody in 2G and coal allocation scams? Did you manage to send Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi behind the bars? You came to power by calling them thieves. Then, how are they sitting in the parliament," asked Chowdhury, newly-elected Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha.
The 2G scam dates back to 2007-2008 when the Congress party was in power. It relates to the grant of 2G spectrum licence allocations, which caused, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the public exchequer.
On the other hand, coal allocation scam relates to the allocation of coal blocks to private companies by the Central government between 1993 and 2010.
