Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked the Congress by saying that if Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was made the first Prime Minister of the country, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir would have been resolved.
Taking a potshot at the Congress for remembering Patel onlyduring the Gujarat Assembly elections, PM Modi said the grand old party forgotto mention the late leader during the Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing the Rajya Sabha as part the motion of thanks toPresident Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the Parliament, PM Modi said: “Wethink that if Sardar Saheb (Vallabhbhai Patel) was made the first PrimeMinister of India, the issue of Jammu and Kashmir would have beenresolved.”
Modi said even the problems existing in the villages todaywould have been resolved had Patel been made the first Prime Minister.
“Sardar Patel was a true Congressman. He was made thefirst Home Minister of the country. But I am surprised as the Congressremembers him only during the Gujarat elections when his pictures becomevisible in the party’s posters. But during the Lok Sabha elections, hisphotographs are not seen in any of the party’s posters,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also asked the top Congress leadership topay tribute to Patel by visiting the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
“I request the one top leader of the Congress to visitthe Statue of Unity, which we built in Gujarat as a mark of respect to SardarPatel. I also request Ghulam Nabi Azad to spend a few days in Gujarat,” PMModi said.
The Prime Minister then took a jibe at Azad, saying that hehad a blurred vision. “I think Ghulam Nabi Azadji is having a blurredvision… May be he is seeing everything through political glasses. Ghalib saidsomething for such people — ‘ta umr Ghalib ye bhool karta raha, dhool chehrepe thi, aaina saaf karta raha’,” Modi said.
Attacking the Congress for demanding ‘old India’, Modi said,”Congress wants its old India where the decision of a Cabinet was torn bya leader in a press conference, where an Indian Naval Ship was used as apersonal taxi, where scams were visible everywhere. But the people are notready to accept the old India.”
PM Modi was referring to the Azad’s remarks made in theRajya Sabha on Monday. In his motion of thanks on the President’s address, Azadhad said the Congress wanted the old India which had love, affection andculture and where a human being was not afraid of another human being.
It may be mentioned here that in 2013, then Congressvice-president Rahul Gandhi had torn a Cabinet decision on bringing anordinance to protect convicted MPs and MLAs while addressing a pressconference. And in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi had allegedthat the late Rajiv Gandhi used aircraft carrier INS Virat as a ‘personal taxi’to ferry his family members.