Narendra Modi a national embarrassment: Anand Sharma

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Anand Sharma today termed Gujarat Chief Minister NarendraModi as a "national embarrassment".

"Modi may be an asset to the BJP but he is a national embarrassment. I can say this without any hesitation. He is boastful and makes tall claims about the development model of Gujarat," he told reporters here.

Sharma said that as per social indices, Gujarat has the highest school dropout rate, high malnutrition deaths compared to other states and low availability of safe drinking water.

Citing figures, he said Modi has also made false claims with regard to the investments which Gujarat has received in the recent years.

"When it ( foreign direct investment) comes to states, Gujarat definitely is not at number one position. Contrary to that, it is Maharashtra which has attracted USD 6 billion in 13 years (April 2000-April 2013)...Gujarat is less than USD 9 billion and it is a matter of fact and record. Therefore, the claims as such are false," he added.