NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday reacted sharply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interview with news agency PTI, calling it a “carefully scripted and desperate PR exercise” and alleging that it was aimed at diverting attention from key issues.Party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the interview was timed to divert attention from criticism over the Union Budget and the Opposition’s attack on the government in Parliament.“The PM knows that this year’s Budget has been a damp squib and shows every sign of intellectual exhaustion. Markets have reacted negatively and investors have been unimpressed. Hence, he feels the need to give an interview a fortnight after the Budget was presented and a few days after it was taken apart by the Opposition in Parliament. As usual, there are Modi-style one-liners that mean little in reality,” Ramesh said in a post on X.Alleging that the prime minister was facing pressure over the trade deal with the United States and farmers’ issues, Ramesh said PM Modi was attempting to shift the narrative through media outreach.“Under siege and attack because of his surrender to the US on the trade deal, the Prime Minister is now resorting to his favourite tactic of headline management. He is trying to divert attention away from his betrayal of lakhs and lakhs of farmers and other capitulations. His so-called interview is no interview, but a carefully scripted and desperate PR exercise,” he further wrote. Ramesh added in Hindi, “Pradhan Mantri jhuke bhi hain aur thake bhi hain.”In his interview, PM Modi said that the private sector will play a decisive role in driving India’s next phase of economic transformation and asserted that reform has been a core commitment of his government “in letter and spirit”. He said the next leap towards “Viksit Bharat” would depend on bold investments by industry in innovation, long-term capacity and global competitiveness.The prime minister said the latest Union Budget was not a “now or never moment” born out of compulsion but a “we are ready” moment born out of preparation and inspiration, asserting that it reflects India’s “yearning” to become a developed nation. He maintained that none of his government’s budgets were prepared with the attitude of creating a routine “bahi khata” document.Highlighting digital growth and infrastructure expansion, PM Modi said India is a global digital leader due to reforms in transactions through the UPI platform and added that data centres would be a massive job creator. He also said India is witnessing the most expansive infrastructure push in its history and emphasised that the government will do whatever it takes to support and modernise the defence forces.The prime minister criticised the previous UPA government’s record, saying that during its rule, talks would begin and then break down, with little real substance achieved despite long negotiations. He also said political stability and predictability have restored investor confidence in India and asserted that the welfare of women guides every decision taken by his government.
