The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s language, claiming there is no “wave” (lehar) in his favor but only “poison” (zehar) in his rhetoric. Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, Ramesh suggested that the prime minister’s language reflects his tension and confusion as he realizes that various sections of society are upset with him.
“He (PM) has realized that farmers, youth, laborers, women, and backward classes are upset with him. That’s why he talks about Hindu-Muslim, Muslim League, black money given to Congress in tempos, and ‘mangalsutra’,” Ramesh said. He asserted that there is no wave in favor of the prime minister on the ground, but his language is filled with poison, indicating a need for change.
Ramesh claimed that the BJP is losing ground in the ongoing elections, particularly in southern India, and is only half as strong in the north, west, and east. He expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc will secure a majority in this election, emphasizing that Congress is fighting to save the Constitution and democracy amidst prevailing capitalism (dhantantra).
The senior Congress leader accused the BJD and BJP of being two sides of the same coin, engaging in a “fake fight” during the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha. “The prime minister and the chief minister are indulged in a ‘fake boxing’ match. However, the reality is that the BJD had given full support to the BJP in Parliament during the last 10 years,” he alleged.
Ramesh criticized the BJD MPs for supporting “anti-farmer, anti-tribal, and anti-environment” bills in Parliament and noted that the ruling party in Odisha elected BJP nominee Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Rajya Sabha polls. He questioned Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s support for BJP policies, alleging that Patnaik extended 100 percent support to the BJP in Delhi and backed the weakening of the Forest Rights Act, amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, the Land Acquisition Act, and the Labour Code.
“There is no difference between the BJP and BJD. Congress is the only alternative in Odisha that is fighting against the BJP-BJD ‘alliance’. Voting for BJP is like voting for BJD and vice-versa,” Ramesh asserted.
He also alleged that the Modi government had not spent on the development of the Odia language while allocating Rs 650 crore for Sanskrit. He pointed out that the Manmohan Singh government granted classical language status to six languages, including Odia.
Advocating for a caste-based census, Ramesh argued that it is necessary to provide proper reservations for SC, ST, and backward communities. He urged Patnaik to clarify his position on the issue and to extend the 50 percent cap on reservations.
“Why have you (Patnaik) not fully implemented the Forest Rights Act and Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Rules in Odisha?” the former Union minister questioned.
