Indore: Cricketer-turned-politician and Congress leader Navjot Singh while addressing a press conference in Indore said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was like that new bride who puts on a pretence, rather than actually working, in her marital household. Courting a new controversy, Siddhu said, “Modi is like a new bride who prepares less rotis but clangs her bangles more to show the neighbourhood that she is neck deep in work.” “He has nothing to tell people about his achievement in last five years due to which he is deviating people from the real issues in the name of nationalism. I have done various rallies and asked Modi to tell at least one of his achievements in last five years,” he said. Contd. on P10 Showing the latest edition of US news magazine ‘Time’, which has Modi on the cover with the caption ‘Divider in Chief’, Sidhu said the PM was not just that but also “liar in chief’ and “Ambani and Adani’s manager in chief. He takes Ambani and Adani with him on his foreign tours to ensure contracts for them.”
He said that Modi has been destroying the government institutions and banks like NTPC, BSNL and Post Offices and has been working for big industrialists only. “Only two businesses have nurtured in last five years, one is ‘Pakoda’ business and other is ‘Bhagoda’ business, ” Siddhu said while taking jibe on BJP governments tenure. He said Modi’s campaign was harping on nationalism as it had nothing to show by way of governance. He also attacked Modi for his statement during a poll rally in Punjab that a “historic mistake” on the part of the then Congress government ensured that Kartarpur Sahib, the final resting place of Sikh religion founder Guru Nanak, was included in Pakistan rather than India. “What does this statement have to do with the country’s development, GST and the troubles of poor and farmers?” Sidhu asked. Sidhu, however, did not comment on Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s ‘hua to hua’ (whatever happened happened) statement on the 1984 Sikh riots.
The “Nayi Dulhan” jibe came a day after the Election Commission issued notice to Sidhu, a minister in the Congress government in Punjab, for making a derogatory statement about PM Modi and in the process violating the model code of conduct. He said Modi’s campaign was harping on nationalism as it had nothing to show by way of governance.
The Election Commission had on Friday issued a fresh show cause notice Sidhu.
The poll panel had received a complaint from the BJP that Sidhu, during a rally in Madhya Pradesh on April 29, had reportedly accused the prime minister of “making money in the Rafale jet deal” as also “allowing” the rich to escape the country after “robbing” nationalised banks. The poll panel had in April censured Sidhu for allegedly warning the Muslim community that efforts were on to divide their votes in Bihar and it barred him from campaigning for 72 hours.