Narendra Modi means 'Man Of Damage to India': Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Ahmedabad: Giving all credit to Gujarati people for the state's development, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Sunday criticised the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for taking all the credit and hiding crucial information from the people.

During his visit here, Singhvi labelled Modi as a 'Man Of Damage to India' and BJP as the 'Bharat Jalao Party', referring to Modi's comment on the Gandhi family on Saturday, when Modi asked the Congress to explain the 'RSVP' (Rahul Sonia Vadra Priyanka) model.

"I don't know how true RSVP is, but, my RSVP response to Modi is that he is a 'Man Of Damage to India' -- MODI. The BJP is "Bharat Jalao Party" said Singhvi and also accused the party of divisive politics and provoking "brother against brother".

He was referring to Bihar BJP leader Giriraj Singh's jibe on Saturday, where Singh said anti-Modi people would have to flee to Pakistan after election results.

"Singh's comment shows that the BJP believes in creating a rift between communities and dividing the nation for their benefit, but today, I am here to talk about Modi's false and misleading propaganda about development in Gujarat. I have no problem admitting that Gujarat has prospered, but that is because of the enterprising nature of the Gujarati people; not because of the BJP or Modi being chief minister," said Singhvi, who came prepared with data to support his claims.

Singhvi claimed that after Modi took over as chief minister in 2001, Gujarat's average growth rate remained at 9 per cent to 10 per cent.

"If you go back and check figures of the past three governments, it was near 16 per cent for almost 15 years, but no chief minister ever boasted about the achievement. While Modi, who actually brought down the growth, keeps on patting his own back," Singhvi said.

He tore apart Modi's tall claims about several other development parameters.

"In many conclaves, Modi claims that Gujarat is number one in industrial development, which is a white lie. Maharashtra is number one, followed by Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In software exports, Gujarat ranks 11th in India. Even Uttar Pradesh is ahead of Gujarat in IT," Singhvi said.

"Gujarat ranks eighth in per capita income, 14th in the prosperity index, eighth in poverty reduction, and eighth in GDP. Even Bihar is ahead of Gujarat in GDP," claimed Singhvi, who alleged that Modi's claims of tourism and sports development is nothing but a marketing gimmick.

Singhvi also added that even after organising sports events like 'Khel Mahakumbh', Gujarat stands nowhere in sports.

"Haryana bagged 21 gold medals in Commonwealth games, while Gujarat bagged zero, but like Modi, Haryana Chief Minister never boasted about it. Similarly, Gujarat bagged no gold medal in the recent national games, while a total of 444 gold medals were conferred in that event. I challenge Modi on these facts," Singhvi said.

When asked why Priyanka Gandhi is kept away from active politics and campaigning, Singhvi claimed that she is very much into campaigning. "However, we should also respect the boundaries she has set for herself. We must not interfere in what she decided for herself," Singhvi said.