RAIPUR: Ahead of the first phase of polls in Chhattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeted PM Narendra Modi and chief minister Raman Singh, alleging that the BJP has failed to fulfil their poll promises.
Asserting that demonetisation was an exercise to help 15 odd crony capitalist friends of Modi, the Congress chief attempted to corner the BJP on corruption, the note-ban and inflation. "Today PM Modi visited Jagdalpur but didn't say anything on demonetisation, and not a word on Gabbar Singh Tax (GST) and corruption. The people would have made fun of him, had he claimed demonetisation to be his good work", Gandhi took a jibe while addressing an election rally at Daongargarh, about 90 km west of Raipur on Friday.
Earlier he held a poll rally at tribal dominated Pakahnjore in Kanker district (north Bastar). On GST, Rahul said the entire approach worked against the interests of the small traders and shattered their businesses.
Later, he conducted a roadshow at Rajnandgaon - CM Raman Singh's constituency where Karuna Shukla, niece of former PM late AB Vajpayee is the Congress candidate. He pledged to the voters that after the formation of the government in Chhattisgarh, the Congress will ensure the people would be free of "all troubles faced by the farmers, youths, traders, women and other segments of the society under the present regime".
On the Rafale fighter jet scam, Gandhi again attacked PM Modi alleging that the deal was assigned to assist Anil Ambani, the Reliance Group chairman. "I am not here to offer you big fake promises and deceptive assurances. I will say what the Congress will comply with after coming to power", he said and reiterated that his party will waive-off farmers loan, provide them with the remaining bonus amount, fill the vacant posts of teachers and lecturers and put an end to "outsourcing, through which the BJP is placing their own people in jobs" among others.
The Congress chief further alleged that the Raman Singh government offered "political patronage to the chit fund companies who were working in collusion with the BJP government, owing to which the companies duped investors and fled taking away Rs 5000 crore".
As many 161 chit fund companies are accused of cheating the investors during the past nine years but the BJP government didn't take any action against them, alleged the Congress. The first phase of polling will be held on November 12.