18 March,2015 06:24 AM IST | | PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother Prahlad today lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre, saying it has failed to live up to peoples' expectations and lacked will to resolve their problems
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's younger brother Prahlad today lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre, saying it has "failed" to live up to peoples' expectations and lacked will to resolve their problems.
Prahlad participated at a protest here at the Jantar Mantar organised by the All India Fair Price Shop Federation, of which he is the vice president, to press for their charter of demands where he attacked BJP and its government.
"You worked hard to ensure that it (BJP) gets majority in the Lok Sabha and still you have to come to Jantar Mantar to stage a dharna. I think it is a failure of the NDA government," he said.
Prahlad Modi
Referring to Modi, he said "What I am doing is not revolt of a brother against a brother. For me my brother is worth worshiping. I respect him. But I am in a profession and had to come to this platform to raise my voice before my brother."
Making a veiled attack on the Modi government on the issue of corruption, he alleged that almost all national political parties nurture graft.
"Now when the Narendra Modi has government has come to power with the message of fighting corruption, we have been forced to take to the streets," Prahlad said.
He also warning BJP of electoral reverses in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar assembly polls if the party-led government does not heed to peoples' problems.
"If the party turn a blind a eye to us, then what BJP faced in Delhi will happen again in UP and Bihar. I am a member of BJP but I protest against the wrong policies of the national parties," he said.
Prahlad also said the BJP government lacked the determination to solve the problems of PDS shop owners. "Hum ye nahin kehte ye sarkar nikkami hai, Narendra Modi nikkame hain, hum aisa nahi kehte (we have not said that this government is worthless. We also don't say that Narendra Modi is worthless.) But it does not have the will to address our problems," he said.
The fair price shop dealers are staging demonstrations across state capitals in support of their demands including increase in commissions.
Prahlad and general secretary of the federation Biswambhar Basu in the middle of the protest went to submit their memorandum of demands to the government.
"I along with Prahlad Modi went to the PMO and submitted the memorandum. Later talked to the officers concerned. Not much was discussed. We came to know that the proposals of the Shanta Kumar report will not be implemented now," Basu announced before the huge gathering.
A committee formed by the prime minister for FCI reforms, under chairmanship of former Union minister Shanta Kumar had recommended reducing grain entitlement to 40 per cent.
The federation of fair price shop dealers association across the country has raised eight demands before the government including increase in their commission and government servants status for the fair PDS shop owners.
