Opposition leaders say 'Swachh Bharat' must go beyond tokenism

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' on Gandhi Jayanti on Thursday, opposition leaders said its implementation would matter the most henceforth, and added that acts of tokenism won't do.

"Swachh Bharat is a concept which is unexceptionable, how can you oppose you oppose something which is axiomatically virtuous? But what matters is the implementation. Swachh Bharat is not going to happen because we do photo opportunities. It's not going to happen because once a year ministers pick up brooms while a whole mela watches," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI here.

"So, provided the government makes it real, serious and tangible and implements it by making it a twenty four seven concept by providing sewerage, sanitation. By not making it an event or a showmanship, then it's a good idea. Otherwise it will remain a photo opportunity and lot of hullabaloo, but very little substance," he added.

Another Congress leader Rajiv Shukla also added that while Swachh Bharat was a good move, and they welcomed this cleanliness drive, it should not be just a photo op.

Janata Dal United's Sharad Yadav also told ANI, "It would remain mere tokenism, it will not lead to anything big. The mind set of Indian people is to clean their houses not roads."

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi officially launched the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' from Rajpath, and also administered Swachh Bharat pledge and flagged-off Swachh Bharat walkathon.

The Prime Minister also invited nine other people including Sachin Tendulkar, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Ambani, Shashi Tharoor, Baba Ramdev , Salman Khan, Kamal Hassan, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha and the team of soap opera 'Taarak Mehta ka Oolta Cahshma' to take the initiative forward.

Cabinet ministers and various other leaders were also seen wielding brooms and promoting the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' throughout the day.

The launch of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' was preceded by cleanliness campaign week beginning September 25 which saw central government offices being spruced up by discarding or overhauling old furniture and sending old files to record rooms.