Modi had no courage to stand up to China, says Congress' RS Surjewala; demands Smriti Irani's dismissal over MPLAD funds scam

In a press conference held in New Delhi on Thursday, Congress spokespersons Randeep Singh Surjewala and Shaktisinh Gohil said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had no courage to stand up to China.

The remark was made in reference to China blocking the bid to ban Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar for the fourth time. Surjewala said that even though the BJP blames Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Modi’s policies that have brought this situation to the nation. Surjewala’s remark hit back at Law Ministry Ravi Shankar Prasad’s comment that Nehru had “gifted the UNSC seat to China”.

Surjewala said that UNSC was formed in 1945 and India became Independent in 1947. “Till date, no new country, since 1945, has been added to UNSC. When Pandit Nehru was asked about the membership of UNSC, he clearly stated that no such offer, either official or unofficial was made to India. He said, ‘No change can be made to this without an amendment to the Charter’,” he said.

Surjewala further said, “Modi visited China four times without an agenda. He neither discussd the Doklam issue, nor did he raise the issue of Masood Azhar. China built tunnels in Arunachal Pradesh, built a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, deployed submarines in Gwadar port and opposed India’s permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council and Modi remained silent.”

Gohil also attacked Modi and his close aides for siphoning off public funds and not letting those speaking the truth live in peace. The spokesperson also said that BJP practices corruption fearlessly, pointing the misuse of office by Union Minister Smriti Irani in the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Funds (MPLAD) funds fraud. “A massive fraud and bungling in MPLAD funds by Irani has been exposed,” Surjewala added.

Surjewala talked the case in which Smriti Irani had been accused of alleged misappropriation of local area development funds for development projects in Gujarat’s Maghrol village in July 2017.

“CAG report No 4 of 2018 has exposed and implicated payment worth roughly Rs six crore from MPLAD funds without any tender process including fraudulent payment of Rs 84,53,000. The collector found no work had been done,” Surjewala said.

He accused Irani of adopting the village and pocketing MP land and funds, demanding that Modi sacks her. “If required, we will file an FIR under Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code must lodged against her,” he said.