'Extremely cheap': Opposition slams PM's emotional speech

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his assertion that he left his home and family for the nation, the Congress on Monday said there is nothing great in it in terms of politics, adding this is cheapness of the worst limit.

“If you believe that politics is a service to the nation, thousands of people have done it. What is so great about it? This is kind of extremely cheap. If you have to do it, you shouldn’t announce it. That means you have actually not sacrificed anything, you have done it as a tool to project yourself. I think it is a cheapness of the worst limit,” Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said.

Escalating his attack on the Prime Minister, Dikshit asked, “What has he done for the country except for being the chief minister and the prime minister, which is a political job, which you aspire for.”

“What is it that he has done extraordinary that others have not done. What social service was he doing before that when he left his family and his wife? He was only a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh or a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Was he doing some social service? Was he standing on the border?” he added.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam also criticised the Centre’s 'unpreparedness in dealing with the currency crunch' after it demonitised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes,  and said that PM Modi’s decision is ultimately affecting the livelihood of the general public instead of weeding out the menace of black money.

"For the past 10 days, people are getting starved, they are unable to purchase groceries, they cannot purchase vegetables, so if it was planned 10 months earlier, then the government should have come out with a proper plan and not put people into trouble," DMK secretary T K S Elangovan said.

Elangovan’s comments came in response to the PM's claim that the decision to cancel the legal tender of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 was taken after a through deliberation of 10 months.

Downplaying Modi's assertion that he sacrificed his life to serve the people, Elangovan said, "Every leader has done the same, even Mahatma Gandhi did not have a smooth family life, he lived for his ideologies. So, as a leader, he (Modi) is bound to sacrifice his family and work for the nation. That is why people regard them as leaders."

The Aam Aadmi Party said that people of the nation don’t need PM Modi’s emotion but a solution to the ongoing financial crisis.

“The people now don’t need the prime minister’s tears but a solution. The solution is not about the long queues at the ATMs. It's a huge problem. Business is suffering due to this. The farmers cannot cultivate now due to your policies.you will be able to see the result after five to six months in the form of inflation,” AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

During an emotional address to the people in Goa, Prime Minister Modi said he left his family and home to serve the nation and added that he understands the pain of the people who have been waiting in long queues to exchange their currencies.

“I was not born for sitting on a chair of high office. Whatever I had, my family, my home...I left it for the nation,” the PM said.

“Yes, I also feel the pain. These steps taken are not a display of arrogance. I have seen poverty and understand the problems of the people,” he said.

On November 8, Modi had announced demonetisation of currency notes in a major assault on black money, fake currency and corruption.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering in Goa. Photograph: PTI Photo