PM more interested in campaigning than running the country: Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more interested in political campaigning than in running the country.

Tharoor's remark came after the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack at the Congress Party while addressing a farmers' rally in Punjab earlier in the day.

"The Prime Minister seems to be far more interested in political campaigning than in running the country. Since last four-and-a-half years, we have been hearing so many speeches attacking the Congress party, attacking one family, attacking everything the Congress has done," Tharoor told ANI.

"This country got to where it has during Congress rule and the rule of other governments. I am not taking away the contribution of other governments. We have been able to bring about a country that has gone from 17 percent literacy rate to 79. We were 90 percent below the poverty line in 1947, today it is 20 percent. When British left, the life expectancy of people was just 27. Today it is almost 70. In every respect the country has made very good progress," he added.

Tharoor said in BJP rule rights are being taken for granted.

"Today (in BJP's rule) we take many of the rights for granted including the RTI, MANREGA. These are all the rights that the Congress fought for Indian people. As far as farmers are concerned, minimum support prices rose under the Congress - four times they have risen under the BJP," Tharoor said.

"People have begun to see through his (PM Modi's) reiterate. They understand this is a gentleman who always says certain things for political purposes, but we should stop seeing and see what action is taking place. That action has been sadly lacking," he added.

Earlier in the day, while addressing a farmers' rally, Prime Minister Modi said: "In the last 70 years, the party on which our farmers placed their faith did not recognise their hard work. Only promises were made to farmers. They (Congress) made a lot of announcements about welfare in those years, but they were only worried about the welfare of one family. Farmers were made a vote bank."

PM Modi's rally came in the wake of the recent Minimum Support Price (MSP) hike.