PTI, BARIPADA(ODISHA): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday lambasted the Congress accusing it of “playing” with national security and working at the behest of middlemen in the defence sector instead of running a government for the people during the UPA rule.
“I cannot understand whether Congress was running a government or the durbar of its own (Christian) Michel mama,” Modi said at a BJP rally here, referring to the middleman in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, Christian Michel who has recently brought to India from Dubai. He was addressing the rally after unveiling a slew of projects worth over Rs 4500 crore in different sectors
including highways, railways, culture and passport services ahead of the general elections.
This was Modi’s second visit in less than a fortnight to Odisha, where assembly elections are also slated to be held along with Lok Sabha polls. Mounting a scathing attack on Congress, Modi alleged
that there was a conspiracy to weaken the country’s defence forces in 2004-2014 (the period of UPA rule) and the revelation of facts was now “paining” its leaders. “Therefore, they want to remove the chowkidar (watchman) from their path at any cost. Be it the society or factories, thieves always conspire to remove the chowkidar to make their task easy. As long as the chowkidar remains, they
are unable to operate,” Modi said apparently slamming Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his “chowkidar” barb at him.
