Yechury lashes out at PM Modi for threatening Congress with 'expose'

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatening to expose the Congress for their 'corruption-riddled' past, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday called on the former to take action if he actually had evidence and stop with the stream of verbal assault, as it was unbecoming of his post.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi addressed an election rally in Haridwar, where he warned the Congress to not test him, asserting that crossing of limits will result in him exposing the UPA Government's "corrupt" history.

Joining the panel discussion during the launch of former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram's book "Fearless in Opposition", Yechury questioned the recent usage of language by the Prime Minister.

"I just got a tweet from ANI, I'll just read it out because it is actually very telling. Prime Minister speaking at an election rally - "I appeal to the members of the Congress to hold their tongue, otherwise I have a full record of their actions, today in Haridwar." This is not the level of decorum and the level of politics that at-least we have grown up in," he said.

Adding that the Left has had scathing arguments with the Congress and will continue to have them, Yechury further said that these are not the issues on which such language must be used, adding that if the Prime Minister has a record of their actions, he must put it out and take action.

"I was asked by some of the media friends that Dr. Manmohan Singh was sitting in the Parliament when PM made the comment and why didn't he get up then and immediately answer. I said that knowing Dr. Manmohan Singh, that was the last thing he would do, but suddenly an old English saying came to my mind - In a street fight a gentleman would never win, because a gentleman loathes to stoop to the level of a street fighter," the CPI (M) leader stated.

"And for heaven's sake as the PM of the country if you have some information which of something illegal, some loot, some sleaze, it is your foremost duty to proceed and take action, why are you threatening?," Yechury said referring to the Prime Minister's address in Uttarakhand.

Yechury had earlier stated that the "raincoat" jibe at former prime minister Manmohan Singh probably came of Prime Minister Modi's "peculiar imagination".

"I think the raincoat example came out of the peculiar type of imagination that the Prime Minister has," Yechury told reporters.

Prime Minister Modi had trained his guns on his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh, accusing him of letting corruption run free under his nose but managing to steer clear of any charges.

"Dr. Manhmohan has played a significant role in the economic system of India. But during the most corrupt regime in the nation, there was not a single corruption charge against him. This art of taking a bath wearing a raincoat must be learnt from Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Prime Minister said, setting off cries of shame by the Congress and a walkout.