BHILAI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being arrogant, adding the latter "doesn't understand that India has progressed due to the sweat and blood of the common man".
Addressing a campaign rally here for the second phase of Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Gandhi said the country can't be run by a single person or a party.
"The common citizens have given their sweat and blood for development of the country. The prime minister doesn't seem to understand this because he is arrogant," he told the gathering.
"When Modi spoke from the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi that before he became the prime minister in 2014, the elephant (India) was sleeping, he was insulting people of the country," Gandhi said.
"By making such comments, he has insulted you, the workers of Bhilai steel plant who have worked here since 1955," Gandhi said.
"This country is not run by one man or one party, it is the citizens who run this country with their blood and sweat. But the prime minister cannot understand this. He is so arrogant that he cannot see the development that had taken place (before the BJP rule) in the country," the Congress chief said.
Gandhi spoke of "two Indias coexisting", saying, "One India is of the rich: Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and another India is of common people like you and me - farmers and labourers. We don't want this. We have one 'tiranga' (national tricolour) and the country should also be one," he said.
"If the rich are given benefits, the common people should also get the same. If you don't want to waive loans of farmers, you should not do so for the rich as well. For a handful of rich whose NPAs total Rs 12 lakh crore, Rs 3.5 lakh crore have been waived off," he said.
Targeting Modi, Gandhi asked the audience to question him when he visits them next.
"On my behalf, ask Modiji why doesn't he speak of the promises he made in 2014 about depositing Rs 15 lakh in your bank accounts, about giving employment to two crore people, fair price for farmers produce and about being the 'chowkidar' of the country," he said.
Modi did 'chowkidari' of Anil Ambani and made crores of honest ordinary citizens stand in queues outside banks, he said.
"Rs 30,000 crore was given to Ambani in the Rafale deal. This is the truth of the 'chowkidar", Gandhi said.
"Modiji snatched the contract of the Rafale fighter jets from the State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and gave it to (industrialist) Anil Ambani. Under the UPA deal, 126 aircraft were to be purchased and the cost of each was Rs 526 crore. Modi went to France with his delegation comprising Anil Ambani and struck a deal to purchase the aircraft for Rs 1,600 crore apiece," he said.
"The deal has been given to Anil Ambani, who formed a (defence) company just a few days ago. Ambani has never made an aircraft. He had not even manufactured mobile phones because they were made in China and he (his group's telecom arm) just sold them," Gandhi said.
He also targeted the Raman Singh government in Chhattisgarh over the alleged chit fund scam, civil supply scam and the allegations against the chief minister's son, Abhishek Singh.
"Chit fund companies committed a fraud of Rs 5,000 crore under the protection of the Raman Singh government. People's hard-earned money was snatched. Sixty people lost their lives, but no action was taken," Gandhi alleged.
"Even Pakistan's (former) prime minister (Nawaz Sharif) has been jailed for the Panama Papers scandal but no action has been taken against Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh, who was named in the Panama Papers," he said.
The BJP has denied these allegations in the past.
Gandhi concluded his two-day campaign in Bhilai Wednesday, ahead of the second phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls on November 20.
The first phase of polling was held on November 12 and the results will be announced on December 11.