PM’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ only speeches, no thoughts: Congress

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Sunday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio programme "Mann Ki Baat", saying that it is not used as a platform to address important issues in the country but to make dialogues.

Dikshit said that the show is being used to make congratulatory messages and greetings on various occasions and festivals.

"His programme only has speeches, there is no thought behind them, no concern for any important issues," he said in a video.

"Why does he host the show? Is it only to make congratulatory greetings on different festivals? Why do you need to invest so much in a radio show just to wish and greet?" he asked, noting Modi has not spoken on soldiers' deaths, issues related to women safety, on plight of government hospitals after the Gorakhpur episode and on deaths in train accidents.

"PM has never commented on the Chinese army attacking our soldiers.

"He had said that we should respond to Pakistan in their way but the reality is something else. More number of Indian soldiers have died on the border in the past three years than those who died in the past 10-15 years," he added.

"During Manmohan Singh's rule and during governments before that, Pakistan didn't have the gall to attack our army. PM acts as a soldiers' leader but doesn't seem to worry about their deaths," he alleged.

Dikshit also condemned Modi for Mahatma Gandhi's name in his Swachh Bharat but avoiding his other principles.

"He talks of Gandhi's principles but is not familiar with them. He is rather afraid of ideologies of Gandhi who believed in creating a country which is peaceful and non-violent, and where all the communities are considered one.

"His party doesn't want all that but confines Gandhi in a cleanliness campaign."

Dikshit said that in "Mann Ki Baat", the Prime Minister spoke about the achievements of the NCC girls "as if he has had a contribution in it".

"Three years ago, he had made promises on women safety during his campaigns but those haven't been fulfilled. He doesn't address the everyday incidents of rapes and insults of women," he said.

"He doesn't talk about his own party's leaders like Sakshi Maharaj making derogatory comments on women rights or his own party leader's son being involved in a stalking case," he added.

Dikshit also said that the Prime Minister dreams of bringing superfast trains in the country but has no concern about the existing railway infrastructure.

"Big unnecessary talks are taking away the attention from all the important issues. There have been three riots in Haryana under your party's rule," he said.