Modi is the biggest liar as PM: Navjot Singh Sidhu
Ahmedabad: In a pointed attack on Narendra Modi in his home state, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Tuesday said the land of Gujarat, which is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, has also produced a prime minister who is the "biggest liar".
Addressing a rally in Dang district while canvassing for Congress' Valsad Lok Sabha nominee Jitu Chaudhary, Sidhu said the prime minister works only for the wealthy people.
"I am surprised because the very land (of Gujarat) which gave us Mahatma Gandhi has also produced a prime minister who is the biggest liar," the Congress leader said.
He also termed Modi as "Jhootha No.1' and 'Feku No.1".
Sidhu, who is a minister in the Congress government of Punjab, said Modi represents only affluent people and not the poor.
"Modiji, you are the PM of only one per cent wealthy people. You are not the PM of poor citizens. You are asking these locals to vacate their land and go elsewhere. Almost 80 per cent of locals of this region are working as labourers in other states," the Congress leader told the audience, most of them tribals.
Sidhu said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi would immediately grant a loan waiver for Gujarat farmers after coming to power.
The former BJP leader also accused Modi of not keeping his promise of generating two crore jobs every year.
"You promised two crore jobs every year (in the run-up to 2014 elections). But, only 8 lakh people got jobs in your tenure. Though China's GDP is 6 per cent, they gave jobs to 70 lakh people in five years. While India's GDP is 8 per cent, we could create only 8 lakh jobs," said Sidhu.
He also claimed that even state-run HAL, BSNL and MTNL are retrenching their employees.
"There is a backlog of 25 lakh posts in the government sector. I want to tell you that Rahul Gandhi will fill up these 25 lakh vacant posts," he added.
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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
