Accusing the Congress of not performing its role as opposition properly, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said instead of indulging in ‘cheap politics’ it should ‘sit quietly’ and watch the National Democratic Alliance government complete the tasks not done during the party's six-decade rule.
Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, without naming him, over his ‘suit-boot’ jibe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, "Those from the longest ruling family are criticising (the PM) on suit. I ask you, haven't your father and grand father worn suits.
"Then why are you making so much hue and cry on the suit. Why are you doing such a cheap politics."
He said Congress has no moral right to question the 11-month-old Modi government after its performance during its six-decade rule.
"The Congress is criticising us over what we did in our nine-month rule. But I would like to tell them that a child born after nine months cannot run, but our party in these months did this. We have started running. They just need to sit and watch us, what all we can do," he said.
"My suggestion to you (the Congress) please carry out the work of opposition properly. What you could not do in last 50 years, we will try to do much of those works in our next 5 to 10 years of rule.
"You (opposition) just need to sit quietly for 5 years and you will see a lot of work being done. We will show it to you. Please stop spreading bogus propaganda about our party," he said.
Naidu said that there was no corruption at the top level of the government unlike the UPA regime, but accepted there was some at lower level which he assured would be eliminated in the coming days.
"There was corruption during the Congress' rule, starting from land, to spectrum, coal and so on. But you cannot level a single charge of corruption on us and on our government. There is no corruption at the top level. There is some corruption at the low level but we will eliminate it in the coming days," he said.
Naidu, who was in the town for the launch of three social security schemes, slammed the Congress of misleading the farmers over payment of compensation saying "they are trying to mislead farmers but PM Modi convened an emergency meeting to give compensation to farmers who have suffered even 33 per cent crop loss."
The Union Urban Development Minister, who earlier held meeting with the officials to take stock of the development work carried in and around Varanasi, said Rs 18,000 crore will be spent on the development of Varanasi and its adjoining areas.
"In the coming 5 years, we will see a huge transformation of this holy city. We will make all efforts to make Varanasi one of the best city of our country. People of this city are very fortunate that they have chosen a candidate and made him the PM of this country," he said.
Naidu also accused Congress of considering minorities as a votebank and doing divisive politics. "We don't consider minorities as a votebank but as our common citizen. It's only Congress that does the politics of dividing minorities. We never do such type of politics," he said.
On the PM's foreign tours, he said, during the PM's foreign visit he was accorded warm welcome. We have cordial relations with all our neighbours except Pakistan, he added.
Attacking the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party of supporting Congress at the Centre and opposing it in the state, he said, now these regional parties would also meet the same fate as that of the Congress.
Claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party would form the next government in Uttar Pradesh, he said, "Unlike other parties, we would not do the caste or religion based politics, but on development agenda."
Naidu, while addressing the BJP workers, said that the party was like a mother for him and others and whatever he was today was only because of our party and its organisation.
"Our party made a person from poor background as PM, who used to sell tea in his childhood days in trains. For all the BJP workers, nation stands first. We put 'nationalism' first, rest all are secondary," he said.
