Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi took on Narendra Modi on Monday saying that the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate was ‘irresponsible’ and had made ‘wrong statements’ at his rally two days ago.
“Today I got a golden opportunity to expose Narendra Modi. He is an ordinary man. I have never seen an irresponsible leader like him, and he wants to be the PM of this country,” Gogoi told a press conference here. “Modi is shedding only crocodile tears. He remembered Assam only because elections are coming. He remembers only when he lands at Borjhar Airport in Guwahati and forgets it when he leaves… During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, Assam got nothing,” Gogoi said.
He alleged that Modi was a “dedicated and committed volunteer of RSS, which had killed Mahatma Gandhi”. On Modi’s jibe that Gogoi whose name meant young should also think young, he said “My modern outlook and his modern outlook are different.
His modernity is about how to dress and talk with big American companies, but mine is to work for rural people, for the aam aadmi.” Citing figures, he said “As per Government of India figures, the Gross State Domestic Products of Assam is 13 per cent in 2012-13, while it is 8.52 per cent in Gujarat.”
Gogoi said, “My spending on development is much higher. During NDA’s time in the 11th Finance Commission, Assam got Rs 13,280.86 crore. It went up to Rs 57,832.7 crore during the 13th Finance
Assam’s overall debt stood at Rs 29,200 crore compared to Rs 1,76,500 crore to Gujarat, Gogoi said.
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