Chennai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a tirade against the Congress on Saturday accusing it of sidelining dignified politicians and claimed that the grand old party’s image has shrunk to that of a regional party.
She cited the examples of leaders like G K Moopanar and K Kamaraj, who she alleged, were not encouraged by the grand old party.
“We should accept the fact that the Congress did not allow Moopanar to become a Prime Minister or even a Chief Minister, nor did it nurture Kamaraj, as both were involved in dignified politics,” Sitharaman said, while speaking at the fifth anniversary of Chanakyaa TV Youtube channel here.
The Congress lacked a national outlook and its image has not risen beyond that of a regional party though it had managed to win in a few states, Sitharaman said.
“It is making promises only to confuse the people. And the BJP is the only national party (in the country),” she added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi strives for the progress of the country without any bias, she said, and dared the Congress to reveal its development plan, if any, for the country for the next quarter century.
Without mentioning any party Sithraman said that regional parties that suffered during the Emergency harped on the two terms– “Socialist” and “Secular”– that were inserted into the Preamble of the Constitution by then Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi) after “illegally prolonging” the Lok Sabha beyond its regular term of five years.
She appealed to the people to reject the political parties that “looted and destroyed” the temples and threatened to eradicate a majority religion.
At the event, Tamil Maanila Congress founder G K Vasan said Modi’s hat-trick win would make Tamil Nadu strong and India a prosperous country.
AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran called for efforts to counter the opposition campaign against CAA.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Marziya Sharif | 
