Previous UPA government ruled by remote control: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the previous Congress-led government at the Centre was "ruled by a remote control".

The Prime Minister, who was addressing an election rally in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund, said that the Congress, during its rule spanning across "four generations", never thought about the welfare of the people. "They only thought about one family but never gave a thought about welfare of people. How can we trust them that they will fulfill aspirations of people now," he asked.

In an apparent reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family, the Prime Minister also challenged the Congress to appoint a party president who is not from the "family".

"I challenge the Congress to appoint some able leader as their party president, who doesn't belong to the family," he said.

"The country knows that Sitaram Kesri, a Dalit, was not allowed to complete his five-year-term as Congress president; he was thrown out of office and into the footpath to make way for Sonia Gandhi as the new party chief," Modi added.

Earlier this week, the PM had dared the Congress to make a non-Gandhi party president for at least five years, if it respects democracy.

Addressing a poll rally here in Surguja district, Modi asked Congress to give account of what the four generations of the (Gandhi) family did for the nation before asking for an account of his government's four-and-half years' rule.

While the BJP has been ruling Chhattisgarh for 15 continuous years, the Congress was in power in the state only for three years after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Traditionally, the two national parties have had a direct fight in this state, although a third force has emerged this time in form of an alliance between the parties of former Congress chief minister Ajit Jogi and of Dalit leader Mayawati.

"Four generations of the Congress ruled the country, but they have nothing to tell the people. We are everyday giving an account of what we have done in the last four years," he said.

"They (Congress leaders) are saying it was due to a great person, due to Pandit Nehru, that a 'chaiwala' (tea seller) became the prime minister," Modi said.

(With inputs from agencies)