By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In what was seen as a hard-hitting election speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress, saying it had presided over the “NPA (non-performing assets) scam” that had brought public sector banks to their knees. He also sought to counter the barbs on unemployment, wondering if the claims of West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Odisha of having created one crore jobs, too, were false.

Maintaining that he had remained silent for long on NPAs despite knowing the full details, Modi said the economy was now stable, which was why the information could now be shared. “Congress alone is responsible for huge bank NPAs. When we took over in 2014 the situation was alarming. The problem was under-reported. On paper, NPAs were shown as 36%. But in real terms they were 82%,” Modi said.

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, he told the Congress: “Like you did during your tenure, I, too, went to Davos. But the difference is you went with a letter to save someone.” He was alluding to the Bofors case and the then foreign minister Madhav Singh Solanki’s trip to Davos with a letter allegedly to scuttle the probe into the scam.

Apparently reacting to criticism on the Rafale deal, Modi listed a series of defence scams, including Jeep scam during Nehru’s time and the VVIP helicopter scandal during UPA regime. When Modi claimed the concept of Aadhaar was mooted in 1998 by the then home minister L K Advani, Congress member Renuka Chowdhury broke into a roaring laughter. Taking a dig at her, Modi said it reminded him of epic serial Ramayana.

Prime Minister’s punchlines

Corruption

The opposition is attacking me as its leaders are losing their sleep because of my fight against corruption. Many of them are out on bail in corruption cases and four former chief ministers are behind bars When the corrupt and middlemen are out of work, obviously the Congress will be unhappy... Those who have robbed the country will have to return their loot to the common man

The opposition’s protest against the govt’s use of Aadhaar is due to its use to weed out corruption

Former President R Venkataraman in his book quoted industrialist J R D Tata as saying he felt that after 1980 the Congress didn’t ask for poll funding as the party was run from the com-mission coming from defence deals

Andhra Pradesh

The state was suffering due to UPA govt’s hasty decision to bifurcate it for political benefits

(Congress) divided India. For decades, one party devoted all their energy in singing paeans to one family. The interests of the nation were overlooked just for the interests of one family

New India

The govt has a vision for the country’s development, but the Congress worked with a petty mind

The biggest tunnel on land, the biggest tunnel under sea, the fastest train and biggest gas pipe line are being built by my govt

Does the Congress still want the Old India marked by Emergency, scams and massacre of Sikhs?

Congress-mukt India

It was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream. He wanted Congress disbanded after attaining Independence. We are trying to follow the path shown by him

Unemployment

Opposition-ruled states of West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha and Karnataka have said they gave employment to close to one crore people. If the Centre is blamed for unemployment figures, then it should also be credited for employment data.

Youth 7

0 lakh new EPF accounts registered in the name of youth aged 18-25

Measures like Start-up India, Skill India boosted youth’s aspirations

Simultaneous polls

Thousands of crores are spent in conducting elections and so much time and energy goes into holding them. Can a country like India can afford it? I seek the opposition’s cooperation in working out a solution