Congress takes on PM Modi over 'industrialist' remark

Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was not afraid of being clicked with the industrialists, the Congress took a dig at him and said that he should lend his legitimacy and respectability to such corporates.

Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, said, "If the Prime Minister feels alright to be photographed with such people, who allegedly ripped off the banking system, and run away to Antigua and London or they disappear from the earth, then I leave it to the Prime Minister's wisdom to lend his legitimacy and respectability to such people."

Tewari further underlined that the Congress was not against industrialists and capitalists, but against "crony capitalists."

"The Congress feels that private enterprises and private capital have a legitimate place in the developmental trajectory of the country. But what we are against are crony capitalists, which is the nexus between suit and boot. This 'suit-boot ki sarkar' functions for the benefit of few at the cost of many," he added.

Prime Minister Modi, while speaking at a launch of 81 projects worth Rs 60,000 crore at a ceremony in Lucknow said that he "was not afraid" of standing with the industrialists as his intentions are "clear".

The Prime Minister also gave an example of Mahatma Gandhi and said that he also had friendly relations with industrialists.

"There are people who don't want to get themselves photographed with any industrialist but there is hardly any who didn't meet them on the sly. Mahatma Gandhi never hesitated in meeting businessman Birla. There is no problem in meeting anyone as long as the intentions are clear. I am not the kind who is scared of being seen with industrialists. There are those who don't want to meet them in public, but only behind curtains," the Prime Minister said.

Tewari also hit out at the Prime Minister for comparing himself with Mahatma Gandhi and said, "It is surprising to say that the Prime Minister compared himself to Gandhiji. No political leaders should compare themselves with the Father of the Nation. The Prime Minister said Gandhiji had industrialists with himself. But the question is which types of industrialists?"

He also said that the industrialists, who used to be in touch with Mahatma Gandhi, did not break any banking system or ran away from the country with thousands of crores of public money.

The Congress has time and again attacked Prime Minister Modi for his "close relations" with business magnets and also accused him of favouring them, overlooking the plights of poor and farmers.