New mobile towers coming up pan-India to address problem of call drop: Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Stating that loss in Bihar elections does not mean that charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was over, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, while speaking at “Agenda Aaj Tak” conclave on Friday, said victory and defeat was part and parcel of electoral politics and Mr. Modi was still India’s most popular leader.

“We won so many state elections in before Bihar…We lost in Bihar and it happens in politics. But it is wrong to suggest that BJP is sliding or Mr. Modi’s popularity was waning. Mr. Modi is today the most popular leader in India and also abroad and BJP was today’s main political party in the country. BJP have been voted to power to take India towards growth and progress and under Mr. Modi this is what we are doing,” Mr. Prasad said.

Mr. Prasad said: “The Congress left us with legacy of scams and corruption, poor growth and economy in bad shape, but we are now taking the nation on the right track…We are trying to undo all negative policies of the Congress. We are empowering states, taking care of poor and farmers, and trying to address the issue of price rise effectively.”

Terming the whole intolerance debate as creation of Mr. Modi’s adversaries, Mr. Prasad said these same people were against Mr. Modi becoming Prime Minister and now they are forwarding agenda of Modi-baiters. Mr. Prasad said the government was ready to listen to all issues of the Opposition and they should let Parliament function.

On the issue of call drop and telecom, Mr. Prasad said he has strongly taken up the issue of call drop and as a result all mobile operators were putting up more telecom towers. “In Delhi 2000 new towers have come up while in India over 14,000 new mobile towers have been installed. Mobile operators have been told to improve their service or face action,” he added.

Countering Mr. Prasad, Congress MP Anand Sharma said BJP merely got 31 per cent votes in last elections but portrayed it as “Modi wave” which was propaganda and nothing else. Bihar elections have proved that Mr. Modi’s so-called popularity was declining fast due to his anti-people ideologies and policies. “Congress will make a strong comeback soon and Rahul Gandhi will take Congress to new heights. Under Rahul Gandhi, Congress is promoting younger leaders. Congress respects the post of Prime Minister but we have strong objections to Mr. Modi as a person who is pursuing divisive policies which people of the country have rejected.”

“Similarly, all claims on economy are sham as there has been no visible improve in country’s economic scenario. Poor and farmers are suffering but Mr. Modi is busy touring the world,” he said and rejected charge that Congress was stalling Parliament. “BJP should  remember how its leaders mistreated former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and blocked Parliament session after session…We are ready to cooperate but the Government should stop demeaning Opposition parties and allow free and constructive discussions,” he added.

Senior CPM leader Brinda Karat said Mr. Modi has failed to give any relief to poor, farmers and labour class. “Today all sections of the society are suffering…eight states are under drought putting farmers in crisis, farmers’ suicides are up, prices are going up and there are no employment of poor under MNREGA. Then Mr. Modi has been making reckless statements during his foreign visits thus belittling India and Indians. Mr. Modi was initially behaving like a war-monger by making statements against Pakistan but now he has made a U-turn…All this lowered Mr. Modi’s credibility,” Mr. Karat said

Ms. Karat also said: “In Bihar elections we saw in BJP posters Mr. Modi’s photos getting replaced with that of cow and BJP pursued its communal politics, which ultimately failed. This clearly reflects true state of BJP and its leader Mr Modi.”