PM should be ashamed of his behaviour: Rahul Gandhi

Tirupati, Feb 22 (IANS) Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was busy making a movie about himself even after receiving the news that 40 CRPF troopers were killed in a terror attack in Kashmir, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said Modi should be ashamed.

Addressing a rally in this temple town, he said Modi, who calls himself a nationalist, had no feelings to rush and console the families of the brave troopers who laid down their lives for the country.

"When 40 of our CRPF jawans were martyred when blood was still flowing, the Prime Minister of India who calls himself a nationalist was sitting in a national park getting a movie made of himself. For three-and-a-half hours after our youngsters were killed, the PM posed in front of cameras, smiled and laughed for cameras and made a movie about himself," said Gandhi.

"He did not feel the pain and sufferings of the families of youngsters who sacrificed themselves. Making a movie smiling and laughing was more important to him than helping the families of those who died. You can see the pictures of PM smiling, sitting in boat, posing in front of river."

Gandhi was addressing the rally organised as part of ongoing 'bus yatra' of Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress to assure the people that if voted to power at the Centre, the Congress would accord special category status to the state.

The Congress President said Modi should also be ashamed of not giving the people of Andhra Pradesh what they deserve and what is their right.

He said the commitment to the state was made by not an individual but by the Prime Minister of the country on behalf of over a billion people.

"I want to make clear that when the Congress comes to power in Delhi, no force on earth can stop the Congress from giving special category status to Andhra Pradesh. It does not matter to me whether there is a Congress a government in Andhra Pradesh or not," he said.

Gandhi recalled that five years ago, Modi had promised special category status to Andhra Pradesh for 10 years. He said Modi had also promised Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, 2 crore jobs to youngsters every year, remunerative prices to farmers.

"Every statement of his was a lie," he said.

The Congress leader said that during previous elections Modi told people that he would be 'chowkidar' not Prime Minister and also promised 'acche din'. "But after Rafale scam, there is new slogan in the country. Chowkidar chor hai."

Former Kerala Chief Minister and Congress in-charge for Andhra Pradesh Oommen Chandy, state Congress chief N. Raghuveera Reddy, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, former central ministers Pallam Raju, Chinta Mohan, Subbirami Reddy, J.D. Seelam, P. Lakshmi and others were present at the event.