PM accuses Cong of playing with national security

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday lambasted the Congress accusing it of "playing" with national security and working at the behest of middlemen in the defence sector instead of running a government for the people during the UPA rule.

"I cannot understand whether Congress was running a government or the durbar of its own (Christian) Michel mama," Modi said at a BJP rally here, referring to the middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, Christian Michel who has recently brought to India from Dubai.

He was addressing the rally after unveiling a slew of projects worth over Rs 4500 crore in different sectors including highways, railways, culture and passport services ahead of the general elections.

This was Modi's second visit in less than a fortnight to Odisha, where assembly elections are also slated to be held along with Lok Sabha polls.

Mounting a scathing attack on Congress, Modi alleged that there was a conspiracy to weaken the country's defence forces in 2004-2014 (the period of UPA rule) and the revelation of facts was now "paining" its leaders.

"Therefore, they want to remove the chowkidar (watchman) from their path at any cost. Be it the society or factories, thieves always conspire to remove the chowkidar to make their task easy. As long as the chowkidar remains, they are unable to operate," Modi said apparently slamming Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his "chowkidar" barb at him.

"This also pains them because their secrecy is now coming to the fore," Modi said adding there were reports that a letter of the middleman Michel had revealed that he had close ties with top Congress leaders and ministers.

The middleman was aware of the ever movement of files in the PMO and even the details of deliberations of the Cabinet Committee on Defence. He was also passing on crucial information related to defence, security and weapons procurement abroad, the prime minister said.

"Perhaps middlemen had more information than the then prime minister himself," he said and asserted that a thorough probe would be conducted into these matters.

"I want to make it clear that the role of people in protecting the interest of middlemen at the cost of the country will be thoroughly probed," he said.

Stating that the BJP government at the Centre has always taken hard decisions for the country's security, he asked the crowd whether the Congress should be allowed to do what it was doing during the UPA rule.

"Those who had done injustice towards the armed forces should be booked ... I want to assure you that law will not allow anyone to go scot-free."