Modi slams Congress for garbling Chandra Shekhar's padyatra

In a veiled attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress for ignoring and misrepresenting former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar's padyatra, which was meant for poor villagers and farmers.

"There is a fashion in our country that some people have some specific rights. If a small leader undertakes a foot march, television channels run it 24 hours and newspapers publish it on front page. Chandra Shekharji undertook a padyatra for poor villagers and farmers, but this country ignored him," Modi said.

Terming it unfortunate, the Prime Minister said Chandra Shekharji's padyatra was "intentionally kept in discussion for donation, corruption and money of rich".

"There could be opposition to his ideology, but such injustice in public life always hurt," Modi said on the occasion of releasing a book 'Chandra Shekhar - The Last Icon of Ideological Politics', written by Harivansh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and Ravi Dutt Bajpai. Written in English, it depicts the life of Chandra Shekhar.

"If the present generation is asked about former Prime Ministers, very few would be able to name them as many of them have been forgotten," Modi said and congratulated Harivansh for writing the book.

Pointing to a specific group of people, he said the images of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel portrayed by it was an example. Even Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose sacrifices were huge, was not spared, he added.

Instead of recognising abilities and contributions of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, this group spread message about what he drank, he said.

"This Prime Minister sleeps at meetings. That Prime Minister does backstabbing. Every Prime Minister was given a title that his name and his identity could not be noticed in the world. Many have been forgotten. But I have decided to make modern museums for every Prime Minister in Delhi," Modi said.

( With inputs from IANS )