Minister of State for Skill Development Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Saturday took on the Congress Party over its 'suit boot ki sarkar' remark, and said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government has not indulged in white collar corruption unlike the previous UPA regime.
"If looks and appearance is the philosophy of the Congress Party, I think, they have lost track completely. When the Congress says 'suit boot ki sarkar', we should keep in mind that the present government is a clean government. Wearing good clothes and looking respectable should not be demeaned," Rudy told ANI.
"These people have worn good clothes and indulged in white collar corruption. At least this government cannot be blamed for that. We are all committed, so, clothes should not matter. The Congress should come back with something concrete," he added.
Earlier in the day, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.Venkaiah Nadu dismissed the Congress Party's charge against the NDA Government as 'cheap criticism'.
He maintained that the Centre has taken pro-poor and pro-farmer initiatives during its first year of governance.
"Everywhere, it is a pro-poor, pro-farmer, pro-women and pro-youth initiatives that are being taken by this government and people are feeling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a messiah of the poor," Naidu told ANI.
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Reacting to the Congress charge of the NDA being a 'suit boot ki sarkar', Naidu countered it by saying that the former was a 'loot, cheat and jhoot' government during its ten years in power.
"This kind of cheap criticism will not help anybody," he said.
"Our government is for the common man, our government brought in social security, the Jan Dhan Yojna and the 15 crore bank accounts. Then, you have the Jan Suraksha Yojna, where you pay one rupee per month and get two lakh rupees as accident insurance, 90 paisa per day and you get two lakh rupees as insurance for common people, Rs. 42 per month and you get Rs. 1000 as pension on reaching 60 years of age. All of these are welfare measures," he added.
He further said that the common man is happy because India's international reputation has also gone up in the last year.
"Our ideological opponents are raising their voices, otherwise, the common man and the average Indian is happy, because, India's prestige has gone up, its international recognition has gone up, the respect has gone up, investments are coming, despair and depression are gone and the country is moving forward. Inflation is under control, the economy has revived and the rupee is gaining strength. Because of all this, people are happy," Naidu said.
Naidu also said that the government's rule in the last year has been corruption-free, while the UPA regime's term was full of scams.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA Government will complete a year in office on May 26.