Saharanpur: He may be a strident critic of Narendra Modi but Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan says he shares many of his qualities like "making tea", "dressing properly" and "playing drums" and is a "fit candidate" for prime minister.
"I have all the qualities of becoming Prime Minister. I can make tea, play the drum, cook food and I wear proper clothes. Besides, I am not all that bad looking or am I corrupt," he said at an e-rickshaw distribution function in Saharanpur.
Mr Khan took jibes at PM Modi for his "chaiwala" beginnings, his "monogrammed suit" and his drum playing episodes in Japan and Tanzania.
"If I become Prime Minister, I assure you, I will deposit Rs 20 lakh in accounts of 130 crore people within six months. I am not like those who don't keep their promises," he said in an apparent dig at PM Modi over his poll promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh each in the account of every Indian.
"Nobody would have been poor if the money was deposited. People would not have to come here to take e-rickshaws to earn a livelihood but would have been 'crore-patis' (millionaires)," he said.
"A rikshaw puller always faces difficulty in getting his daughter married because the probable groom's family rejects the proposal because of his social status and work," he claimed.
The UP government is replacing cycle-rickshaws with e-rickshaws to give them the opportunity to earn better and regain their self-respect, he said.
Taking further potshots at PM Modi, Mr Khan said, "At a time when tension rages at the border and our poor are going hungry, he (Modi) sends 'shawls' to Pakistan and gets in return boxes of mangoes. The king is happy so is Pakistan. He will take advantage of this in the 2017 polls (in UP)." Attacking the media, he said it was better to watch entertainment channels than news channels.
"I have all the qualities of becoming Prime Minister. I can make tea, play the drum, cook food and I wear proper clothes. Besides, I am not all that bad looking or am I corrupt," he said at an e-rickshaw distribution function in Saharanpur.
Mr Khan took jibes at PM Modi for his "chaiwala" beginnings, his "monogrammed suit" and his drum playing episodes in Japan and Tanzania.
"Nobody would have been poor if the money was deposited. People would not have to come here to take e-rickshaws to earn a livelihood but would have been 'crore-patis' (millionaires)," he said.
Advertisement
The UP government is replacing cycle-rickshaws with e-rickshaws to give them the opportunity to earn better and regain their self-respect, he said.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
"No Communication Gap": Pakistan Stars Disagree With Each Other On Language Barrier Statement Man Held For Rape Attempt In UP, BJP Claims He's Linked To Samajwadi Party Supreme Court Raps UP Government Over Delay To Consider Remission Petitions Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool This US City Has Been Declared America's Least Desirable, Survey Finds Ukraine, Russia Both Claim Advances In Kursk Region Gaza Ceasefire Talks Underway In Qatar As Deaths Top 40,000 Trump To Hold Press Conference, His Campaign Adds Senior Advisers Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.