PM Narendra Modi speaks like a BJP leader: Congress

AGARTALA: A day after Narendra Modi launched a high-pitch poll campaign in Tripura asking voters to "throw away" the Left Front government, the Congress on Friday denounced him for speaking like a BJP leader and not a prime minister.

The retort came from Congress General Secretary C P Joshi, who is also the in-charge of party affairs in Tripura which will go to polls on February 18."It's very unfortunate that a prime minister did not deliver like a prime minister, but like a BJP leader," Joshi told reporters.

Modi held a rally each at Sonamura in Sipahijala district and Kailashahar in Unakoti district yesterday."Throw away manik (Sarkar government) and go for 'hira' for prosperity and development in the state in the upcoming election," he urged the gathering at Sipahijala.

Modi coined a new acronym 'HIRA'--H for highways, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways--, hardselling the BJP as a tool for ushering in prosperity and development in the state which the Left has ruled for 25 years on the trot.

Joshi said it was for the first time the Congress was fighting the elections in Tripura without an electoral understanding with any party."In all earlier elections, we forged an alliance with regional, indigenous parties but this time we are going alone. We would make an all-out effort against the CPI (M) and the BJP in the polls," he said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be here on February 16 to hold a rally, but the details of the programme are not finalised yet, Joshi said.

He said the Congress would continue to organise small meetings instead of holding big rallies to reach out to the electors.

Commenting on a vertical split in the party and former Congress MLAs joining the BJP, he said, "Those who have joined the BJP have no moral value. Tides and ebbs are an integral part of politics. But I can say that the Congress will reincarnate and dominate the country's politics."