New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday latched on to Arun Shourie's stinging attack on the Narendra Modi government to target the NDA dispensation, saying it was the "most damning indictment", a charge dismissed by the ruling party.
"Arun Shourie has made the most damning indictment of the current dispensation. In fact the anarchy which has been unleashed in the country in the past 17 months has made people to hum the famous old song" koi lauta de mere bete huye din (can someone bring back my old days)," senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said.
Other spokespersons also attacked the Modi government and said Shourie was "bang on" target about his criticism.
While Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said in a tweet, Shourie is "bang on" about his critisism while another party spokesperson Rajiv Satav said even Shourie has admitted that the Modi government is "weakest" government so far.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh lamented that BJP instead of taking Shourie's criticism in "proper" perspective has targeted him suggesting that the former Union Minister was taking his anger out for not being made an MP and a Minister.
He suggested that the comments of Shourie should make BJP introspect as the former Union minister has underlined the need to take everyone along to run the country and not picking up a new fight everyday.
However, dismissing Shourie's comments, BJP said he was no longer a member of the party and membership ceased as he had not renewed it during the recent membership drive.
Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu also rejected Shourie's remarks, saying "his views are shared neither by the party nor by the public".
"Arun Shourie is no more a BJP member. He did not renew his membership," BJP general secretary Arun Singh said.
Shourie, a strong supporter of Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaign last year, had said the Modi government believes that managing economy means "managing the headlines" and that people had started recalling the days of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Doctor Singh (Manmohan Singh) ko log yaad karne lag gaye hain (People have started recalling the days of Manmohan Singh). The way to charaterise policies of the government is -- Congress scaled plus a cow. Policies are the same," Shourie had said at book launch function yesterday.
Naidu also said there has been "no scam, no scandal and not even one mistake" under the government and BJP had been winning elections across the country.
"We are a democracy, he (Shourie) has his opinion, but the country's opinion is different," Naidu said, adding the people were supporting the Prime Minister in all parts of the country.
