Modi hoists his own flag

“Aap ek parivar ki bhakti mein itna doob gaye ho ki desh ki 125 crore ki janata ko bhool gaye ho (You are so busy in the service of one family that you have forgotten 125 crore people of the country),” Modi said,alluding to the Gandhi family while taking a swipe at Singh.

Describing the Prime Minister’s speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort as “uninspiring”,he accused him of being silent on the issues of inflation,jobs for youth,power outage in “19 states”,and promises made by UPA-I in 2004.

“In his address to the nation last evening,the President said he was sad at the way Parliament was functioning. I understand the President’s concern since the Prime Minister’s own party has not been allowing Parliament to function,” Modi said.

“The President says patience has limits. What is the limit,where is the border line? It has to be decided by the government in Delhi. How long will we be patient? The question is not of Pakistan alone. Today,national security is under threat. The Chinese intrude into our land and we keep mum. When Italian soldiers come and kill our fishermen,when Pakistanis behead our soldiers,we get concerned.”

“I know the constraints of the Prime Minister due to imperatives of international relations and the need for good relations with neighbours. Lal Qila is not the place to challenge Pakistan but it is definitely the place from where the morale of Indian army can be raised… From here,my voice will be first heard in Pakistan and then it will reach Delhi,” Modi said,adding that many in the media had been saying since morning that this could be the last address by the Prime Minister from the Red Fort.

Daring Singh to a debate,he said: “I run the administration of only a state but you run the entire country. Let there be a direct competition between Gujarat and Delhi in achieving development and see who is ahead,” he said.

He blamed Singh for the current economic situation: “Prime Minister,you have referred to former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao while talking about the prevailing economic condition of the country. But I want to ask you who is responsible for the way the rupee is getting devalued,the way it is heading towards crisis.”

Meanwhile,the DGP faints

BHUJ: Gujarat police chief Amitabh Pathak fainted on the dais while Modi was delivering his speech. Pathak collapsed after 40 minutes of the 50-minute speech and had to be carried away. “He just fainted. He was fine after a while and left for Ahmedabad,” a police officer said.