Public support for INDIA bloc similar to Janata Party wave of 1977: Digvijaya Singh

PATNA: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday claimed that the public support for the INDIA bloc, led by his party, was comparable to the wave of 1977 which had brought the Janata Party to power. Talking to reporters at the Sadaqat Ashram, the state Congress headquarters, Singh demanded that the Election Commission take cognisance of alleged violations of the model code of conduct in speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I have been touring many parts of the country for the election campaign. Yesterday, I was in Uttar Pradesh where I attended rallies of our alliance partner Akhilesh Yadav. The massive crowds suggest an upsurge of public support in favour of the INDIA bloc. It is on the same scale as the wave in support of the Janata Party in 1977,” said Singh.

Accusing the PM of violating the model code of conduct, he said the EC’s failure to act raises serious doubts about its impartiality and its ability to hold elections in a free and fair manner.

“After a series of communally charged speeches, he brazenly said in a TV interview that he never creates a Hindu-Muslim divide. On the very next day, he again did precisely that,” alleged Singh.

He alleged that the PM was proving himself to be a “factory of lies” by claiming that Congress was in favour of giving reservations on religious lines, “which is not possible as per the Constitution”.

He also rejected the PM’s claim that Congress, while in power, had been “scared of Pakistan’s atomic power” and pointed out that “we were in power during the Bangladesh war”.

“We have been aware of our own strength. It is the Modi government that has been living in fear of China. Just look at how the Chinese praised the PM when he sought to give them a clean chit on incursions in the bordering areas,” alleged the Congress leader.

Singh also claimed that the Modi government was merely carrying forward the work done by the previous Congress-led UPA government, citing the example of the Right to Food Act. He, however, blamed “faulty policies” of the BJP-led government for inflation, citing the example of petrol prices “which can be easily slashed by at least Rs 20 per litre by revising central excise tax”.