Manmohan turns 'singham' only for US interest: Modi

After lying low during the three-day BJP national executive/council meet at Surajkund in Haryana, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was back to his usual self at a public rally organised to coincide with the culmination of the BJP meet and launched a blistering attack on both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Modi accused Manmohan of being partial towards the US interests -- first in getting the nuclear deal passed and then allowing FDI in retail. With a rhetorical flourish, he asked the Prime Minister why he did not pursue India’s interests in a similar fashion.  “There are questions that the nation wants the Prime Minister to reply. We want to know why he turned ‘singham’ only twice during the last eight years -- once for getting the nuclear deal passed and while taking the FDI-in-retail decision. Why didn’t he turn ‘singham’ in nation’s interests?” Modi wondered.

‘Singham’ was a metaphorical reference to the Hindi film Singham in which the protagonist, a daredevil police officer, decimates all rivals.

Modi also wanted to know if there was a link between the US elections and the Prime Minister getting active. He also asked why Manmohan did not take a cue from Obama who wanted US citizens to buy from small shopkeepers and not big malls. “If the US President can say this to his people, why don’t you see reason here,” he asked Manmohan.  The Gujarat Chief Minister also sought to know if there was a connection between the FDI in multi-brand retail move and Sonia’s visit to the US, as the decision came a day after she returned from her tour there. The anti-Sonia tirade did not stop at the FDI issue. Referring to the coal scam, Modi said: What does the Congress have to say about the pictures of Soniaji published with coal scam accused in the background?”

He referred to a newsreport that said Manmohan had conveyed to Sonia that (her political secretary) Ahmed Patel had recommended a few coal block allocations. Though the Prime Minister’s Office issued a denial about the story, Modi rubbished it and stuck to the report.  While Gujarat was taking initiative to promote White Revolution, Modi said the UPA government “was more interested in  promoting export of beef and was even giving subsidy on it”.