Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, recently hit the campaign trail in different parts of Karnataka which will go to polls on May 12. Before boarding a Delhi-bound flight, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir spent an hour at Mangaluru International Airport speaking to Mohammad Asif. He gave zero mark to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre and full marks to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government. Excerpts:
CD: As the Leader of the Opposition you have been observing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from close quarters. How would you describe four years of Modi government?
Azad: Well, the Modi government has miserably failed. The economy has collapsed. The social fabric of the country is totally disintegrated and shattered. The PM has not fulfilled any of the promises he made to the people of India. He cheated the farmers and youth of the country by making false promises. He promised two crore jobs to Indian youth every year. But, even 2% of this promise hasn’t been fulfilled. He promised the poor people of India that there will be no price rise. Unfortunately, the price rise is 200% during his time. The devaluation of the rupee is highest during his period. The instances of ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir are the highest ever. Maximum number of civilians and security personnel were killed after Modi took over as PM. The safety and the security of the women have been compromised. Almost after every hour there is the rape across the country. Even elderly women and small children are being raped. But the PM has neither taken any necessary steps to stop this menace, nor held meetings with the chief ministers of the state to tackle it. In total, the NDA government at the Centre led by Narendra Modi is a disaster.
CD: What’s your opinion on Mehbooba Mufti led J&K government’s handling of Kathua rape and murder case?
Azad: Unfortunately she miserably failed to take the action. This particular episode took place in the month of January and for two months she did not taken any action. It was my party which raised the issue in the Assembly session and subsequently other opposition parties too joined us. Shockingly, they did not allow the Assembly to function for one week. After that only she started enquiring into it. I must congratulate the people of India who respective of their religion, caste and creed rose to the occasion. The entire country was on the roads and there was a huge pressure on the governments of India and Jammu and Kashmir. Such a pressure forced them to act finally.
CD: Kashmir has always been a poll issue for BJP in South Indian states too. How Congress would counter this in coming days?
Azad: Who is responsible for the state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir? Kashmir was nearly normal. No infiltration was taking place. The militancy had come to minimal. It was almost zero percent. Today we are witnessing the highest ever militancy because the contradiction of the union government and the state government of J&K because of the way they are directly poking their nose in the local affairs of the state. The people of the J&K don’t like it. So the Union government should be held squarely responsible for the mess up.
CD: Any comments on chief minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka under his leadership?
Azad: Siddaramaiah ji is equally popular in North India too. He is rated as the first class gentle man, a secular man and capable man and an honest man across the country. I am sure that the Congress will be forming government in Karnataka after the May 12 polls, because Siddaramaiah ji is probably the first chief minister in the history of Independent India to fulfil almost all the pre-poll promises. On the other hand, the BJP government at the Centre has hardly fulfilled one percent of its pre-poll promises. People have seen the development works carried out by Siddaramaiah government. They also have realised that the promises made by Narendra Modi and his party were mere jokes.
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