LUCKNOW Union minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Friday attacked the recently formed opposition alliance, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), saying putting on new clothes cannot hide one’s deeds.
“By changing clothes, one cannot change their deeds. People know about your deeds. Even if you put the robe of I.N.D.I.A. on UPA (United Progressive Alliance), people will say these are the same people who used to say once upon a time that ‘Indira is India and India is Indira’,” he said speaking to the media on the sidelines of a programme here.
“The country had rejected it then and will not accept it now,” Thakur said.
He said the unity of the new alliance would be on test during the distribution of seats for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Regional parties in the alliance will not give an opportunity to the Congress to gain foothold in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab,” he said, adding: “The opposition parties have not decided over their leader whereas the NDA is led by the most popular leader - Narendra Modi.”
Taking a dig at former ally - Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Thakur said no one could predict when Kumar would move out of an alliance or tie up with another party. “He continues to hop from one alliance to another. The BJP made him CM when his party, Janata Dal (United), bagged only 45 seats in the Bihar assembly elections,” said Thakur.
{{/usCountry}}Taking a dig at former ally - Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Thakur said no one could predict when Kumar would move out of an alliance or tie up with another party. “He continues to hop from one alliance to another. The BJP made him CM when his party, Janata Dal (United), bagged only 45 seats in the Bihar assembly elections,” said Thakur.
{{/usCountry}}He said the states ruled by the opposition parties were lagging in development and demanding aid from the central government to implement promises made to people during election campaign. “To lure people, the opposition parties are announcing freebies,” added the minister.
The new alliance includes the same players of the UPA regrouping under a different name, and this won’t make them more credible, he claimed.
Replying to a question, Thakur said India withdrew its Wushu team from the World University Games in China as ‘stapled visas’ were given to three Arunachal players.
A ‘stapled visa’ is an unstamped piece of paper that is simply attached by a pin to a page of the passport. It’s not like a regular visa, which is affixed to the passport by the issuing nation and stamped,” he said. Input from PTI