Punjab minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he was a "katputli (puppet) of capitalists".
The cricketer-turned-politician was speaking at a Congress campaign rally here ahead of the November 28 assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh.
"The prime minister is a 'katputli' of capitalists and he lies. If a farmer fails to repay a loan of Rs. one lakh, the government beats drums," he said, apparently referring to an initiative where bank officials arranged beating of drums to shame defaulters.
"... But when (industrialists) Adani and Ambani do not repay 1.5 lakh crore, you do 'Pappi-Jhappi' with them (embrace them). Does the Modi government belong to Adani and Ambani?" Mr Sidhu asked.
In a jibe at the prime minister's Make In India initiative, he said, "When Rafale jets will come from France and bullet train from Japan, what will people do here? They will fry pakodas."
Claiming that the Modi government did not pay fair prices to farmers for their produce and the diesel price has been increased by Rs. 6 and has reached Rs. 82 per litre, he said this was not "arthshastra" (economics) but "anarthshastra" (policy of disaster).
However, BJP Madhya Pradesh spokesperson Sarvesh Tiwari said,"Sidhu has no right to comment on the prime minister. He is himself hungry of power and has no principles, as he jumps from party to party."
People of Madhya Pradesh have launched a scheme called "Change BJP government", Mr Sidhu claimed.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, popularly known as 'Mama' (uncle), is in reality "Kans Mama", he said.
The BJP spokesperson said,"The Congress is day dreaming, they will never win the polls in Madhya Pradesh."
Some 100 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers joined the Congress in Sidhu's presence on the occasion.