Siddaramaiah slams PM Modi for equating INDIA with East India Company

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for comparing the opposition parties alliance Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) to East India Company and Indian Mujahideen.

PM Modi on Tuesday, while addressing the weekly meeting of the BJP parliamentary party, called INDIA "directionless” and said, "They keep praising themselves for the name INDIA. Indian National Congress, East India Company, Indian Mujahideen, Popular Front of India - these are also INDIA. Just using the name INDIA does not mean anything."

Responding to Modi’s statement, Siddaramaiah asked, "Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who looted hundreds of crores of tax-payers money of Indians and ran away from the country, is your name Modi? Can they be compared with you?"

"Rahul Gandhi was sued for defamation, sentenced to two years in jail, and disqualified from the Lok Sabha for asking about Modi in the names of Lalit and Nirav. Now your comparison of INDIA to East India Company and Indian Mujahideen... doesn't the similar action taken against Rahul Gandhi apply here also?, he added.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi ...why do you have so much hatred for the beautiful, melodious, and holy name of India? Being so impatient with the name India, will you change the name of your own government programs like Make in India, Startup India, Skill India, etc.?" the CM questioned.

With inputs from IANS

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