Address agrarian crisis and 'show some sympathy' towards farmers: Congress asks PM Modi

CHENNAI: Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits, Congress today asked him to also address the agrarian crisis in the country, meet distressed farmers and "show some sympathy" towards them.

Assessing the Modi government's performance at the end of its first year in office, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Milind Deora said the NDA dispensation "lacked imagination, was big on words and small on action."

"They have just rehashed, rebranded and repackaged many of the UPA schemes, including those in the insurance sector," he told reporters here.

While Modi had talked of "tough foreign policies" ahead of elections, he was now touring various countries and was even seen being clicked with "animals and irrelevant objects," he said.

While it was the right of the Prime Minister to travel different countries, he had to address domestic issues, Deora said, adding, Modi's predecessor Manmohan Singh and former UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi besides others would meet people during times of distress.

When we have an agrarian crisis, with farmers committing suicide, the Prime Minister should visit them or the region. "It is important for a leader to show sympathy," he said.

He also wondered what made the BJP, which had supported the Congress government piloted Land Acquisition Bill in 2013, "change its mind within 365 days," and come up with amendments that were now being opposed not only by opposition parties but even NDA constituents like Shiv Sena.

The government had not "kept its promises" in many areas including recovering black money even as it was opting for UPA's economic reforms including GST, FDI in retail and insurance sector although it had opposed them while in opposition, he said.

"The Modi government is big in talk, unimaginative in ideas and small in action," he charged.

He also criticised the government on lack of GDP growth, stock market fluctuations, "violent statements" being made by BJP leaders and ministers against Mahatma Gandhi and minorities.

To a question on the differences between the AAP government in Delhi and the Centre, Deora said this was "most unfortunate" and called for better relations between the two in the interest of the people.