This Article is From May 27, 2015

'Extra-Constitutional Authorities Wielded Power in UPA': PM Modi Attacks Sonia Gandhi

'Extra-Constitutional Authorities Wielded Power in UPA': PM Modi Attacks Sonia Gandhi

File photo of Congress president Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi: In his first response to Rahul Gandhi's oft-repeated "suit boot sarkar" jibe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the Congress is still smarting from its crushing defeat in last year's national election.

The Congress has not been able to "digest" its crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls even after one year, PM Modi said in an interview to news agency Press Trust of India.

The PM also hit back at Congress president Sonia Gandhi's recent allegation that he runs a government "of some people, by one person and for a select few", saying, "Perhaps, she is referring to the fact that earlier extra-constitutional authorities were the ones really wielding power."

The Prime Minister said in the current dispensation, power is now "wielded only by constitutional means". If the charge is that "we are working through constitutional channels and not listening to any extra constitutional authorities, then I plead guilty to that charge," PM Modi said.    

Political rivals have accused Mrs Gandhi of calling the shots in the previous Congress-led UPA government of Manmohan Singh. Earlier this month she had made the scathing attack on PM Modi's government in Parliament, also accusing it of "obstinate arrogance."

"The people have punished them for their sins of omission and commission. We thought they would learn from this, but it looks as though they are proving right the earlier saying that if con is the opposite of pro, then Congress is the opposite of progress," the PM said.

In the interview, the Prime Minister has also spoken about the controversial land acquisition bill, criticism of his foreign tours, the government's reforms agenda, among other things.
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