Former Member of Parliament and spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, Shakeel Ahmed, took to Twitter to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused him of not giving credit to the Congress party for announcing the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project in his 2006 budget speech.
While practically campaigning for Kairana LS seat but technically outside, with EC’s approval, PM Modi boasted about Delhi-Meerut Expressway. He just forgot to mention that Mr P Chidambaram as FM announced this in his 2006 Budget speech. See Wikipedia for further progress. pic.twitter.com/ByvPnp07a3
— Shakeel Ahmad (@Ahmad_Shakeel) May 27, 2018
Although it is a fact that the project was announced by P. Chidambaram in 2006, work on the construction of the expressway had not begun till Narendra Modi came into power. The project was delayed due to one reason or the other and it was only on the 31st of December, 2015 that the foundation stone was laid for the expressway by Narendra Modi. The first phase of the project was finally completed this year in April and was inaugurated on the 27th of May by Prime Minister Modi. It is amusing that the Congress is claiming credit for a project it merely announced but could not even begin work on it in the next 8 years that it ruled the country.
Certain media outlets appear to be working to give credit to Congress and spin the narrative to indicate that work on the project has been going on for the past 13 years, which is blatantly untrue.
Learn from Scroll how to tell half truth
Abt Eastern Peripheral Expressway:
1. Say it was planned in 2005
2. DONT say work began in 2015
3. Say it was ready in Apr but Modi delayed inauguration till May.Reader will think work was done over 13 yrs & Modi delayed extra 1 month pic.twitter.com/ckPMBVGXkl
— Sujoy (@SujoyGhosh1729) May 28, 2018
People on Twitter were quick to pounce on the Congress leader for trying to claim credit for a project that was not completed within the tenure of the UPA regime which lasted until 2014.
Chidu just announced . Who did the work ?
Typical CONg mindset to stake bizarre claims to work done by bjp .
— #IndiaFirst (@savitha_rao) May 27, 2018
Chidambaram announced it in 2006 and the very next minute it was built in 2018 ??? https://t.co/4DrUvO6d2d
— Divya (@divya_16_) May 28, 2018
Trust Congress to trumpet ? it’s record of announcing projects and schemes and then completely falling in Execution https://t.co/FOxEMpPQ39
— हम भारत के लोग (@India_Policy) May 28, 2018
People also mocked the Congress for their perennial habit of claiming credit for the work done by other governments.
Indiraji announced Garibhi Hatao. Waiting for BJP to do this and congis stake your claim
— Gopalakrishna Pai (@pai_rajesh) May 27, 2018
Actually Sirji.. It was #RajivGandhi‘s vision who wanted to take India to 21st Century through this Expressway … But Shameless Modi started the project in 2016 and completed in record 1.5 years and claimed credit … #DelhiMeerutExpressway
— Shreeharsha (@HEGD4101) May 28, 2018
Chidambaram announced Delhi Merut Expressway in 2006 but Congress sit on the project file till 9 years & did nothing till 2014
But Shameless Modi started the project in 2016 and completed in record 1.5 years and claimed credit https://t.co/t8hhSEVtAa
— Rishi Bagree ?? (@rishibagree) May 28, 2018
Congress seems to have developed a penchant for claiming credit for achievements it didn’t have any role in. For instance, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, had claimed credit for an increase in forest cover in the state while the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests credit the central government’s initiative of providing free LPG connections to economically weaker sections of the society for the same. The party has also on several occasions claimed that the schemes implemented by the BJP are merely copies of schemes from the UPA era.
