PM Modi Not Knowing About Federal Front Proposed by KCR is 'Joke' of 2019, Says Congress

Hyderabad: It is the "joke of 2019" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he does not know about the federal front of regional parties being attempted by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju claimed here on Thursday.

Dasoju, who has been appointed as the spokesperson for AICC two days ago, wondered how can Modi say (in a media interview) that he does not know about the non-Congress, non-BJP front proposed by Rao when the latter was going around the country to promote the initiative.

"Both together (after) reaching a tacit understanding, to weaken Congress, by confusing parties who are pro-Congress and to move them away from UPA, Modi and KCR are conspiring" Dasoju told reporters.

Modi talked about 'people's front' (comprising Congress, TDP and others) losing in Telangana Assembly polls but what about BJP which has been decimated, he said.

"I don't understand whether shame is there or not. I am sorry to use such a language against the Prime Minister. But then, he says people's front lost. What happened to your party? BJP is decimated here," he said.

It is a "funny" situation with Modi feeling happy about people's front losing in Telangana by forgetting as to why people rejected BJP, he said.

Out of total 119 Assembly seats, BJP lost security deposit in 105 constituencies. Congress has not lost much as it won 19 seats now compared to 22 segments it won in 2014, he said.

Noting that "a blind tiger in a forest eats its own cubs", Dasoju claimed that Modi, in a similar fashion, has sacrificed his own BJP MLAs before KCR and then talked about hurting Congress in Telangana.

Alleging that the NDA government was trying to evade answers on the Rafale deal, Dasoju said the government should accept the demand for a JPC probe into the issue if it has any morals.

India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one-and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris.

The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September, 2019.

The Congress has raised several questions about the deal including the rates, and accused the government of compromising national interest and security while promoting "crony capitalism" and causing a loss to the public exchequer.