Didi doesn’t give in to Modi charm
Kolkata: In an apparent bid to reach out to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted both the UPA at the Centre and the Left Front in the state.
Echoing Mamata Banerjee’s persistent complaint, Modi also accused the UPA government of discriminating against non-Congress states. Again virtually echoing Mamata Banerjee, he said the CPI(M)-led Left Front had ruined the state over 34 years, and it would the Trinamul government a long time to undo the damage.
In what must be sweet music to Mamata Banerjee's ears, Narendra Modi said under her leadership, West Bengal was going in the right direction and the dreams of Bengal’s people would soon come true.
Speaking on the “Vibrant Gujarat” growth model at a meeting hosted by several industry chambers, Modi refused to draw any comparisons between his state and West Bengal. "The media only wants Modi to talk on one aspect... I have not come here for this. I do that only during elections,” he said.
However, the Gujarat Chief Minister’s charm offensive failed to impress Ms Banerjee’s Trinamul which remained unmoved. The West Bengal CM was guarded and non-committal when asked about the possibilities of a Trinamul-BJP?tieup in the future leading up to the general elections.
“Whatever I have come to know, he (Modi) appreciated the government....political differences could be there but a government's work can be appreciated by anyone,” she said.
In a sharp attack, Mr Modi termed the UPA government as the “most-hated since Independence” and took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying his own party had not accepted him as a leader.
“If you ask 100 Congress workers as to who is their leader no one will name Manmohan Singhji, irrespective of he being the Prime Minister. When his own party does not accept him as the leader of the party and as the leader of the country, then how can such a prime minister lead a nation?” he asked with a shrug.
Bihar’s modi not amused by Namo TIP
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi suggested on Tuesday that his model of development for Gujarat can be altered a bit to help lesser developed states like Bihar, but the tip has not gone down well in Patna, where senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, state’s deputy CM, took exception to it.
“Whether it be Gujarat model of development or any other model, it cannot be implemented uniformly. All states have divergent issues and problems to deal with,” the other Modi told reporters at his official residence.
“There are several features that other states can take from Bihar, like reservation for women in village panchayats," he said, rebuffing the Gujarat CM and echoing Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, who has in the past said models of developed states like Gujarat cannot be thrust upon a backward state like his own.
The JD(U) also took pot-shots at the Gujarat CM, with its leader Shivanand Tiwari saying, “Modi is desperate to become the Prime Minister.” He also claimed that Bihar model is much better than that of Gujarat’s.
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