Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma on Friday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a press conference in Shimla and said it's time for repentance, not 'celebrations' as some of the monumental failures and false promises now stand exposed after four years in power. "Just five days from now, Prime Minister Modi and his government will go all out on mega celebrations mode to make boastful claims on its achievements. The people of the country are going to hear all noise and lies all over the media. The fact remains that the problems which the people suffered calls for an apology and repentance, not celebrations,” Sharma told media persons at a press conference. Asserting that PM Modi had failed to fulfill most of his promises made to the country, including youths who were promised two crores jobs every year, the Congress leader said people have no hope from his promises. Sharma added that it's the Congress and other opposition parties which will work unitedly to see that BJP and RSS combine stands defeated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Asked if the Congress will accept the leadership of any other person other than party president Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader termed it as premature proposition. He said this kind of decision could be taken at an appropriate time and after due deliberations. Sharma went on to attack the BJP for pumping in Rs 1,500 cr in the Karnataka elections and asked the Election Commission of India to call for a list of fixed-winged planes being deployed by the BJP in the polls. “Where is all this money coming from even as Congress candidates were targetted and raided every day to keep them out of the campaign. There is a blatant misused of the machinery to which the ECI has turned totally blind to the violations,” he said. The Congress leader also attacked PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for lowering down the discourse when he said they speak, behave and conduct in the way which is most disrespectful and disgraceful. "The Congress with the kind of values it had inherited will never stoop low to their levels." Lashing out the government, Sharma said it was the first time that the country's economy has suffered a big blow. "It's due to some of the wrong decisions taken by the government like demonetisation, due to which thousands of people lost their jobs and 143 died standing in long ATM queues," he added. “The Prime Minister and Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley have never apologised to the nation as they have tried to justify the decision and will continue to do so. Then came the GST blunder –a hasty move being implemented without doing any trial run," he pointed out . Asked about Rahul Gandhi declaring himself as the next Prime Minister, the Congress leader said, “It's not the fact. What Rahul Gandhi said was something natural which a leader in the opposition was supposed say. Modi should also realise that it's not his birth right to the post. In fact, he should behave like one as the whole world was watching him on some of the recent happenings in the country," added Sharma.
