Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a debate on the latter's achievements during the last four-and-half years. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President asked Modi if the country benefited in any manner from his rule.
Addressing the media at Amaravati, Naidu told reporters that Modi should spell out what was the growth rate achieved by the country under his rule and what the country gained from steps such as demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST). "It may not have been good under the UPA, but it is no better even in the government. What economic growth did the GST and demonetisation result in?" said Naidu.
Incidentally, this is the CM's third consecutive remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Last week, Naidu made scathing remarks against Modi, calling him a "hollow man" and a "blackmailer" at two separate occasions in one week.
Grand Alliance did not fail: CM
In the recent interview, Modi said that the Grand Alliance had failed and that Naidu was venting his ire over his crushing defeat in the recent Assembly elections in Telangana.
Last week, Naidu had made scathing remarks against Modi, calling him a "hollow man" and a "blackmailer" at two separate occasions in one week.
The TDP chief, however, did not agree that the Grand Alliance had failed and remarked that the NDA government and Modi had failed in fact. The Andhra CM claimed that Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were promoting Federal Front mooted by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to divide the opposition.
Naidu said though the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janta Dal did not say that they were joining Federal Front, Jaitley tried to mislead people.
He also asked why Modi was happy over the victory of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana. He said the PM, BJP President Amit Shah, 13 Central ministers and three chief ministers campaigned for BJP in Telangana but it got only one seat.
Recalling that the TRS chief had called Modi a "fascist", Naidu said the Prime Minister's silence over this was a proof that they have a secret understanding.
Stating that there is no Federal Front in the country, Naidu reiterated that the country has only two fronts -- the NDA led by BJP and other parties supporting it, as well as the Congress and other parties opposed to the BJP.
Naidu also alleged that the country's economy collapsed due to the steps taken by Modi, who created fear among people and misused the institutions to target his political rivals.
(With inputs from IANS)