Modi govt is patting its back over work initiated by UPA, says Congress

Ghulam Nabi Azad said Modi's Pak policy was 'immature' while policy towards China was 'not clear'

Attacking the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the Congress on Saturday accused it of patting its back over work done or initiated during the UPA government's term.

Speaking to reporters here, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad slammed the government claiming that its Pakistan policy was "immature" while its policy towards China was "not clear".

He claimed that over 500 jawans had died during the three years of the NDA's rule at the centre and accused it of failure on the security front.

"The Modi government has been busy inaugurating schemes that were initiated by the previous UPA government....The recent inauguration of the Assam to Arunachal bridge is being shown as if it was undertaken by the Modi government. However, 90 to 95 per cent of its work had already been done," Azad said.

He said the government was "patting its back over the work done by the previous government" and some media houses were presenting even the smallest of the works done by the present regime as major achievements.

He termed the BJP led government's Pakistan policy as "unstable, uncertain and immature".

Azad said that during the UPA's tenure, whenever Pakistani leaders visited India, Modi would say that soldiers were dying on the border but Congress leaders were serving biryani.

"But what is happening now?...Diplomacy of sari, shawl and mango is taking place. Our Prime Minister went to visit the Pakistani PM uninvited," said Azad, the Congress' UP incharge.

He alleged that in the last six months, Pakistan had disfigured Indian soldiers three times while 172 terror strikes had taken place in the last three years.

In the past three years, 578 jawans have been martyred of which 203 were in J&K alone, he said.

"There have been 1,343 infiltration bids from the Pakistan side in J&K...This government is a reactive government, it does not take any step on its own," Azad said.

Accusing the government of failure in fulfilling promises, Azad said the NDA had taken 70 per cent of their votes in the Lok Sabha polls in the name of national security and the remaining 30 per cent on the promises to provide Rs 15 lakhs in the bank accounts of all citizens and employment.

He also claimed that the government's policy towards China was not clear.

"While the Indian Prime Minister was entertaining Chinese President in Ahmedabad, Chinese soldiers were infiltrating into Ladakh... China has been opposing India at the UN and along with Pakistan has blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group," he said.

He flayed the Modi government for failing to check Naxal violence claiming that 271 security personnel and 665 people had been killed by left-wing extremists in the last three years.