NEW DELHI: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of double-speak on the issue of food inflation and price rise, the Congress today said the PM and the party spoke in a different voice when they were in opposition.
Underlining that this is a government which has come in with a clear majority, Congress leader and former Union Minister Sachin Pilot said, "There is no reason why they can't take strong steps that a 56-inch chest thumping Prime Minister had promised". The Rajasthan PCC chief also took a dig at Modi saying that while he was taking credit for the PSLV-C23 rocket launch and Katra train link which had come to fruition due to Congress government that worked on it for 10 years, he was blaming the food inflation on them.
"This is double speak," Pilot said in an interview to PTI adding that BJP won the election on the plank of high inflation.
Mentioning about a planned protest against overall price rise in Rajasthan on July 9, he said, "I want the people to know that a political party cannot get away by speaking in a different voice while in opposition and completely turn the tables when they are in government".
He said that once BJP took over the government, they have realised that there are certain things that even they can't control.
"So high powered meetings, asking hoarders to be raided and asking states to increase the quota... and I am hearing things where we as UPA had cited as reasons for inflation and were rubbished.
"Now I am getting the same statements from the same ministers, from the same political leaders saying that vegetables aren't an administered commodity and we can't switch off a button to put down the inflation," Pilot said.
It is amazing how food inflation has gone up in the last five or six weeks but it is blamed on the last ten years of the UPA government.
"I hear the Prime Minister saying we have ten years of legacy that's why the inflation is being what it is. I don't know if they have been able to address the root of the problem. So this posturing, public statements and media sort of outburst against high food inflation is not going to cure the public of the problem," he said.
Pilot said the Prime Minister was very happy and smiling as he watched the rocket launch and took credit.
"He takes credit for the Katra rail link launch. Both these national projects have come to fruition as Congress government worked on it for 10 years. So the dichotomy is that food inflation is based on the Congress's party's ten year rule but these massive leaps of the nation are conveniently forgotten," he said.
The government, not matter with what mandate they have got into power, has to be responsible, he said.
He noted the series of statements that have come out of the government, from the date of the swearing of the government.
"The MoS in the PMO talked about disbanding Article 370 which created a huge controversy. We had BJP leaders in the campaign asking people if you don't vote for Modi go to Pakistan... you have this constant west UP problem making politicians igniting passions.
"So I think in five and a half weeks the sheen of the tempo of the campaign that Modi had launched is coming off because different Ministers are speaking in different voices... many are making statements that do not justify a government that has come to power," he said.
Speaking about the rape allegations against Union Minister of State Nihal Chand, Pilot said Modi is not walking the talk on the issue.
"Prime Minister took a high moral high ground but he is not able to walk the talk...I demand that the Prime Minister should stick to morality and ensure that Nihal Chand goes if he does not resign by himself," he said.