Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pointed out that he has taken no vacation in the one year since he took office, seen as a barb at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who recently returned from a two-month sabbatical.
In a
speech at a reception hosted for him by the Indian community in Shanghai, Prime Minister Modi made multiple jibes at the opposition Congress, without naming the party or Mr Gandhi.
"I had said I will work hard. Have I let up? I have not taken any vacation and work day and night with all the might that God has given me," he said.
The PM said one year ago to the day, when the people of India elected him and his party the BJP to lead the country, "People sang just one tune - the days of sorrow are gone," alluding to the 10 years of Congress rule that preceded his term.
He also made a reference to the Congress' repeated criticism of his travels abroad when he said, "I am criticized for working hard. If working hard is a crime, I am prepared to commit that crime for 125 crore Indians. Every moment of my time is for the 125 crore people of India."
Rahul Gandhi, in an aggressive new avatar after his vacation, has taken on PM Modi repeatedly and has made more than one dig at what the Congress calls the PM's frequent trips abroad.
In a recent speech in Parliament he said, "The Prime Minister is touring India, I request him to also visit distressed farmer in Punjab."
The Congress has previously accused the Prime Minister of making political speeches while in other countries and takes umbrage at PM Modi's jibes at it on foreign land.
After PM Modi had attacked the Congress in an address to the Indian community in Canada last month the opposition party had vowed to send a spokesperson to every country that the PM visits to "set records straight."