So Modi is just a CM of one state Mr. RPN Singh and Manish Tiwary?

By our correspondent, New Delhi, 9 April 2013

Soon after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’ speech in Kolkata was over, TV channels rushed to get reaction from Congress leaders. The cameras it seems first bumped across minister of state for Home Shri RPN Singh, and asked him to react to the allegations made by Mr. Modi in his Kolkata speech against centre.

To this RPN Singh reacted: He is one Chief Minister and there are many other Chief Ministers. If we start reacting to what a Chief Minister of one state speaks, then how would we work? Gujarat Congress will give reaction.

It seems RPN Singh’s reply was as per the Congress strategy. Yesterday Janardan Dwivedi also said same initially, but later on he was carried away by media’s repeated questions and gave reaction to Modi’s ‘pit’ comment.

But look what happened! Soon after RPN Singh’s remark, not Gujarat Congress unit, but the office of Prime Minister gave a reaction through twitter. The PMO tweeted:

Fact1: The Centre has allocated funds to states according to mutual agreed formula for ‘economic justice.’

“States that used to grow slowly in earlier periods have done much better.” – PM’s speech at NDC met last December –

So contrary to what RPN Singh said, here was not Gujarat Congress unit but Prime Minister of India reacting to Mr. Modi’s speech. So as per Mr. RPN Singh’s criteria of comparison and logic, when Prime Minister reacts to Mr. Modi’s allegations what does it indicate about stature of Mr. Modi then?

It should be noted here that Chief Minister Narendra Modi had made allegation of biased approach and injustice towards UPA and non UPA states.

Modi had said that India’s federal structure is denied by central government. The states face biased approach by centre. If it’s UPA state there’s one treatment, if it’s non-UPA state there’s another treatment. When Vajpayee govt was in power, left-ruled Bengal never had complain against centre’s treatment. The Government of India has no right to behave in biased manner with states. Discrimination is not allowed. Modi said, for the sake of unity this is wrong approach. He said Gujarat can tolerate centre’s such approach, but what about Bengal which has witnessed 32 years of difficulties.

While Modi complained about overall biased approach by centre, PMO on Twitter selectively replied only budget allocations. Apparently in connection with this, Modi tweeted: The poor condition of the country is due to the UPA Government at centre. What is lacking is governance not budget or ideas.

Mr. Modi in his speech had also mentioned how centre didn’t take action on a report submitted by him as head of the committee formed by centre on reversal of price hike. Mr. Modi had also raised the issue of banning cotton export. However PMO didn’t react to this in any of tweets.

And then there’s Manish Tiwari. He said, “to give ball to ball commentary to what CM of a state daily says is not required.”

But then contrary to his and RPN Singh’s stand, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi gave commentary when asked about Modi’s apparent attempt to reach out to Mamta Banerjee. Alvi reacted to this and said that Modi should first woo NDA’s own Nitish! And later also Digvijay Sigh reacted to Modi’s speech.

So Modi is just a CM of one state Mr. RPN Singh and Tiwary?