Congress: Modi should stop playing with the sentiments of the poor

The Congress continued to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speeches in Lucknow last week, saying he should "stop dramatising" poverty.

Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters that speaking was part of Modi's DNA and if he did not give speeches, "it probably could affect his health".

Noting that Modi shapes his address according the composition of audience, he said: "The Prime Minister should stop this drama of poverty. He should not play with sentiments of the poor. He cheated people with these sentiments in 2014 elections. Now it is time to give account of his performance." Sharma said.

He said India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was from an affluent background but he left everything and adopted khadi, while Modi was the first prime minister who wears “such good clothes” and changed his clothes often.

Sharma said former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was from a humble background but never mentioned about the poverty he faced while occupying the high post, while all the others from Indira Gandhi to Manmohan Singh lived life with simplicity.

Modi had said in a speech on Saturday in Lucknow that poverty had given him honesty and courage.

Sharma also referred to Modi's remarks in Lucknow that he was not was "not afraid of" publicly standing beside industrialists because his intentions were "noble" and accused him of making baseless allegations against the Congress, which has never insulted the captains of Indian industry nor used abusive words.

"He (Modi) should talk responsibly. Congress Party has always encouraged industrialisation, investment, capital formation and redistribution of the capital for the common good. That has been the governing philosophy and the ideology of the Congress and the successive governments and that is why this country had seen unprecedented growth during our time," he said.

He also said Modi should answer how BJP became "the richest political party in the world in four years".