The Congress on Monday launched an all out counter-attack on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for being critical of the UPA government during his speech in Pune on Sunday.
Responding to Modi’s ‘burqa’ remark, Congress leader Ajay Maken said, “The burqa of secularism is better than the nakedness of communalism. Secularism unites the nation, communalism breaks the country.”
Maken also hit out at Modi for criticising the Congress over the Commonwealth Games. Questioning Gujarat’s contribution to sports, Maken said, “Narendra Modi says that our Olympics performance could have been much better. I would ask Modi how many youngsters have qualified from Gujarat for the Olympics.”
Faced with criticism from Modi over corruption and lack of development during the UPA regime, Maken presented the government’s defence.
“Yesterday, whatever he (Modi) said was one-sided, one needs to answer keeping facts in mind,” Maken said.
“Modi should first improve his performance in the state of Gujarat and then talk of national level improvements,” he said.
Refuting Modi’s tirade against lack of quality education during UPA regime, Maken stressed that the drop-out rates in Gujarat schools are 57%, far above the national average.
“How is Modi making claims about education when posts of principals are empty in schools and colleges in Gujarat?” Maken added.
In the same vein, taking a potshot at Modi and his ‘RSS link’, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said he felt it was much better to wear the ‘veil of secularism’ than to wear ‘khaki shorts.’