Cuttack, May 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the opposition unity, saying the corrupt leaders were coming together "not to save the country but to save themselves", making an apprent attack on Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi.
"Due to the commitment of this government against the black money and corruption, people those who are out on bail in the Rs 5,000 corruption case and many others also involved in corruption cases have come together on the same platform," Modi said while addressing a rally here on the occasion of four years of completion of his government.
He was apparently referring to Gandhis taking bail in the National Herald case and opposition leaders coming together in Bengaluru during the Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony.
"As we promised four years ago about zero tolerance towards corruption, four former Chief Ministers are behind the bars," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said that this is a committed government instead of the confused government.
"The way in which our government is committed against corruption, this has made the enemies good friends," he said.
"The people of the country are watching them."
"These leaders have not come together for the country but they have come together to save themselves and their families."
He alleged that the opposition leaders want to destabilise the current government. "But people know everything," Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said that the President (Ram Nath Kovind), Vice President (M. Venkaiah Naidu) and the Pradhan Sewak (Prime Servant) of the country come from a very humble and poor background.
"We have seen the days of poverty. And we were not born with silver spoon. In fact we did not see the spoon in our initial days," Modi said, in an apparent jibe at Rahul Gandhi.
The Prime Minister also said that in last four years, the investigating agencies have carried out searches at over 3,000 locations and unearthed over Rs 53,000 crore of the undisclosed money.
Modi claimed that the government even seized properties over Rs 35,000 crore after the Benami Properties Bill was passed by the government.
"It was the committment of the government that passed the Benami Properties Bill, instead of the confused government which delayed it for over 30 years," he added.
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Amaravati, Nov 5: Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday said she viewed Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's remarks on her handling of the state's law and order situation in a constructive way.
Anitha’s response followed Kalyan’s criticism the previous day over deteriorating law and order conditions and increased violence against women, particularly five months into the tenure of the new coalition government comprising the TDP, BJP, and Janasena.
"I took his (Kalyan’s) comments positively. His press meet was, in fact, encouraging. He provided a supportive foundation for my work and urged me to be even more assertive. That's what he communicated,” Anitha told reporters.
Anitha added that, as the Home Minister, she recognises her responsibilities and the demands of her role.
She also emphasised that Kalyan did not label her a failure.
The Home Minister noted that she had spoken to Kalyan about the matter, and he clarified that he was referring to the alleged registration of cases based on caste under the previous YSRCP government.
Further, she underscored that Andhra Pradesh is strict about maintaining law and order.
“The Chief Minister is serious that anyone contemplating a crime should fear. He (CM) said we will bring special laws to deter criminal behaviour. This message came directly from the CM,” she said.
Defending Kalyan as the Deputy Chief Minister, Anitha claimed that some people were "unnecessarily politicising" the issue.
On Monday, the Deputy CM expressed concerns about the state’s law and order situation, suggesting that “things would be different” if he were the Home Minister—remarks seen as direct criticism of Vangalapudi Anitha.
His comments came after recent incidents, including the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl by a relative in Tirupati district.
Meanwhile, YSRCP leader B Rajendranath sought to know who Kalyan was questioning.
"Whom are you (Kalyan) questioning? You are in power. You are the Deputy Chief Minister. Are you questioning yourself, your government, a particular minister, the CM, or the police department? We do not understand," Rajendranath said during a press conference in Hyderabad.
Rajendranath noted that while Anitha holds the Home Department portfolio, law and order is overseen by the CM. He questioned Kalyan's criticism of the police department’s functioning, reasoning that the government cannot operate without the system in place.
He advised Kalyan to address crime effectively, while former Tourism Minister and YSRCP leader RK Roja suggested that Kalyan’s comments reflected "failure" on the part of both the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister.
Further, she alleged that the Home Minister has become "useless".