PM Narendra Modi, a merchant of mere dreams and lies: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "merchant of mere dreams and lies" as it debunked his emphasis on "Swachhata mission" contrasting it with sanitation scenario in Gujarat when he was chief minister.

Latching on to a recent CAG report on beneficiaries under various central schemes including Total Sanitation Campaign, party spokesperson Shakti Singh Gohil said while the Prime Minister keeps talking about sanitation and has "put a broom in youths' hands across the nation", Gujarat fared badly on this front when he ruled the state.

Releasing a bunch of papers, he said the state then ruled by Modi could spend only Rs 278.39 crore from Rs 702.39 crore approved by the Centre for its 26 districts under Total Sanitation Campaign between 2008 and 2013.

"The Prime Minister only sells dreams and lies and creates an atmosphere through social media that these dreams will turn a reality where as he has neither the intention nor the willingness to do it. He was chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years and it is shameful students did not have toilets there.

"The CAG report points out how the very concept of sanitation was being shred into pieces in Gujarat. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Modi had promised jobs to youths. He has now put a broom in their hand to divert their attention from his promises," Gohil said.

The Congress leader, who belongs to Gujarat, highlighted a number of issues related to solid waste "mismanagement" in the state then headed by Modi including absence of sanitation facility in Indira Awas Yojana, non-distribution of award money to Gram Panchayats under Nirmal Gram Puraskar Scheme, wasteful expenditure on purchase/construction of toilets worth Rs 2.80 crore.