Congress hits back at BJP after PM Modi's MNREGA criticism

The Congress on Friday dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of its flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme as 'political vendetta' by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.

"The Prime Minister wants any project introduced by the UPA government, by the Congress-led government thrown away. This is the kind of vendetta that the BJP is showing in all the cases. The present Prime Minister himself was the chief minister at one stage. He has been receiving money from the Centre and he has been implementing it," Congress leader P.C. Chacko told ANI here.

"If he can say openly that what he has implemented in his state is a failure then at least that sincerity we can understand," he added.

Chacko further said the MNREGA scheme is internationally acclaimed as one of the best 'anti-poverty' programmes.

"When they criticize they should understand that the poor people in the country, who are unemployed, who are poverty stricken, have some money in their hands. This is one of the projects, which is internationally acclaimed as one of the best anti-poverty programme. If there are any loopholes in the scheme then it can be plugged. The scheme cannot be given up," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier in the day ridiculed the Congress, saying the MNREGA was the epitome of the former's failure.

"My political understanding says never end MNREGA. I can't make this mistake because MNREGA is an epitome of your (Congress) failure. After so many years of being in power, all you were able to deliver is for a poor man to dig ditches a few days a month," he said in the Parliament today.