Cong MP writes to Speaker, seeks action over ‘misleading’ statements by PM

New Delhi: Congress MP Manickam Tagore has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP MP Anurag Thakur made “factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements” in the House, and sought appropriate action in the matter, sources said.

Tagore has written to Speaker Birla, requesting that provisions of direction 115(1) be invoked over the statements made by Modi and Thakur.

The Virudhunagar MP called on Birla to initiate requisite proceedings and take appropriate action over “factually incorrect, inaccurate and misleading statements” made by Prime Minister Modi and Thakur in the House.

He flagged that Prime Minister Modi in his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address had said that the Congress made a “false promise” of Rs 8,500 per month to women, when the party’s promise was conditional to victory and government formation.

He also challenged Prime Minister Modi’s claim that the Congress vote share has gone down in 16 states in which it contested alone.

“This is factually incorrect. The Congress vote share increased in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Telangana etc.,” Tagore was quoted as saying in the letter.

He also termed as “grossly misleading” Modi’s remarks that “no bullet proof jackets [were provided] for the Army during the Congress’ time”. “There was a shortage of jackets, not that jackets were not there. Even police had bullet proof jackets like in Mumbai attacks,” Tagore said.

He also challenged the prime minister over the claim that the Congress didn’t give fighter jets to the Army.

“We had Jaguar, Mig 29, SU- 30, Mirage 2000,” the letter read.

Tagore also pointed out alleged inaccuracies in Thakur’s July 1 speech in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress MP said Thakur claimed that the Army was not given arms and fighter jets when the party ruled the country.

“We had Jaguar, Mig 29, SU- 30, Mirage 2000….We had nuclear bombs, missiles like Agni, Prithvi, Aakash, Nag, Trishul and later Brahmos,” he said.

Tagore also dubbed as “factually incorrect” Thakur’s remarks that Prime Minister Modi has not taken a single holiday and asked which category of leave is taken for election campaigns.