Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his assertion that the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh is the largest in Asia.
Prime Minister Modi on Friday launched the 750 MW solar project in Rewa in Madhya Pradesh through video-conferencing.
"Asatyagrahi" (which roughly translates to 'one who does not believe in the struggle for truth'), said Gandhi on Twitter, tagging a tweet by the Prime Minister's Office which quoted Modi as saying that Rewa has been identified with Narmada and white tigers, but now the name of Asia's largest solar power project has also been added to it.
D K Shivakumar, the Congress' Karnataka unit chief and a former energy minister in the state, had on Friday said, "Union Power Minister must answer as to how the Central government can claim that the Rewa Solar Park (750 MW) opened today is Asia's largest when clearly the Pavagada Park in Karnataka is much larger (2,000 MW) and was opened two years back!"
On Friday, PM Modi had said that solar energy is the pure form of energy and would help the country towards achieving "atmanirbharta" (self-reliance).
"Not just for the present, solar energy will be a medium of energy needs of the 21st century because solar power is sure, pure, and secure. It is sure because the sun would shine throughout the world; it is secure because solar energy rather than polluting the environment, helps in replenishing it and it is secure because it is a testimony and inspiration towards 'atmanirbharta'," the Prime Minister said in his address, via video-conferencing.
"It is important that if we want to become Atmanirbhar Bharat, then we would have to be 'atmanirbhar' in the field of electricity as well. When we speak of self-reliance and progress, the economy is a pivotal part of it. The whole world is in a conundrum that whether to focus on the environment or focus on the economy," he said.
