Opposition leaders coming together to save themselves: Modi

Cuttack : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the opposition unity, saying the corrupt leaders were coming together “not to save the country but to save themselves”, making an apprent attack on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.

“Due to the committment of this government against the black money and corruption, people those who are out on bail in the Rs 5,000 corruption case and many others also involved in corruption cases have come together on the same platform,” Modi said while addressing a rally here on the occasion of four years of completion of his government.

He was apparently referring to Gandhis taking bail in the National Herald case and opposition leaders coming together in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony.

“As we promised four years ago about zero tolerance towards corruption, four former Chief Ministers are behind the bars,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said that this is a committed government instead of the confused government.

“The way in which our government is committed against corruption, this has made the enemies good friends,” he said.

“The people of the country are watching them.”

“These leaders have not come together for the country but they have come together to save themselves and their families.”

He alleged that the opposition leaders want to destabilise the current government. “But people know everything,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said that the President (Ram Nath Kovind), Vice President (M. Venkaiah Naidu) and the Pradhan Sewak (Prime Servant) of the country come from a very humble and poor background.

“We have seen the days of poverty. And we were not born with silver spoon. In fact we did not see the spoon in our initial days,” Modi said, in an apparent jibe at Rahul Gandhi.

The Prime Minister also said that in last four years, the investigating agencies have carried out searches at over 3,000 locations and unearthed over Rs 53,000 crore of the undisclosed money.

Modi claimed that the government even seized properties over Rs 35,000 crore after the Benami Properties Bill was passed by the government.

“It was the committment of the government that passed the Benami Properties Bill, instead of the confused government which delayed it for over 30 years,” he added.

Published on May 26, 2018 at 18:11 IST

IANS