)
The opposition party also targeted Arun Jaitley, who has been in the forefront of the NDA government’s campaign to highlight its achievements, saying the Union finance minister “is the most effective spinner in Indian politics”.
“Modi and Mamata are the most trusted friends of each other and both show similar traits,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told a press conference here.
“Modi and Mamata are two sides of a coin, both are dictatorial,” he said presenting a report card on the BJP government’s one year in power at the Centre.
“When he came to power, Modi had talked of maximum governance and minimum government, but just one year later we find it is maximum arrogance and one-man government,” Ramesh said.
“This is a mirror image of the situation in Bengal and that is why they (Modi and Mamata) are together,” he claimed.
Both — Modi and Banerjee — had made no-holds barred attacks on each other during the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and till recently did not see eye to eye.
The prime minister and Banerjee, however, shared dais during his recent visit to the state and Modi praised her at public functions during the visit. They also held a meeting at the Raj Bhawan here.
In a scathing attack on Jaitley, Ramesh said, “He is the most effective spinner in Indian politics. Jaitley is more than the combined force of finest spinners Indian cricket has ever produced.”
“When Jaitley says that there is no understanding between Trinamool Congress and BJP, I am assured that the opposite is true,” the former Union minister said.
He alleged that in the last two-three months there has been a lull in the investigation into the Saradha chitfund scam, which is being handled by the CBI.
Presenting a five-chapter report card on Modi’s completion of one year in government, Ramesh said, “Modi stands for Murder of Democratic India. The prime minister has completely bypassed Parliament.”
He claimed that while the Modi government has come down on civil society and NGOs, it has also not held any all-party meeting in the last one year.
“He (Modi) has not appointed any chief information officer for RTI and is thus systematically killing the Right to Information Act.
“There has been no chief vigilance officer for the last seven months,” he said.
Alleging that the Modi government has brutally cut down budgetary allocation for education, health and rural roads, Ramesh said this has badly affected programmes for poverty alleviation and welfare of rural people.
Cong wants to introduce new faces in West Bengal
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today said the party wants to bring in new faces to rejuvenate it in West Bengal, where it put up a pathetic show in the recent civic polls to 92 municipal bodies, including Kolkata Municipal Corporation. “I think we have gone so down that the only way is to go up,” he said.
“With the ruling Trinamool Congress failing to live up to its promises made before the 2011 Assembly polls and the BJP and CPI(M)-led Left Front failing to do much, this is the opportunity for Congress to make a comeback which it wants to do on its own strength,” he said.
“We must get new faces. It is an ongoing process where the new comes in to join the existing leadership,” he told reporters here.
“We may not have much votes or seats, but we have a presence all over Bengal. We have to make proper use of that and present ourselves as the alternative to Trinamool Congress before the people of the state,” Ramesh said.
Stating that the party proposes to go it alone, he said there is no plan to tie-up with any other outfit.
Asked specifically about whether Congress would go for a tie-up with ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, he said, “It is the TMC which has been formed out of the Congress.”
