MUMBAI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the BJP and particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hime Minister Amit Shah for diverting the attention of the people from crucial issues like economic slowdown, rising unemployment and farmers’ woos.
At his first public rally after resigning as party president, Rahul started with informal conversation.
“Hello. How are you? I see many youngsters here. Do you have jobs? I see many farmers here. Do you get a proper rate for whatever you produce at your farm? Ave your loans been waived off? Have you seen the Acche Din?” he went on asking before hitting out at Modi and the media.
“Did Modi ji ask Chinese President Xi Jinping about the 2017 Doklam standoff during their recent meeting at Mahabalipuram?” Rahul asked.
"When the youth ask for jobs, the government tells them to watch the moon,” Rahul said in an apparent reference to ISRO’s recent lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2.
“The top industrialists of the country own the Media and hence the media too doesn’t ask questions and doesn’t let you know about real issues bothering the nation,” he added.
While justifying his allegations, he also said that while crop loans have not yet been waived off, Rs 5.5 lakh crore worth of debt of “15 rich people” was waived off by the Modi government.
“The work of media, Modi and Shah is to divert people’s attention from core issues. The media is silent on farmers’ distress, lack of jobs. The media is mum on loan waiver to rich as it is owned by them,” he said.
He said the objective of demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was to take money from pockets of the poor and give it to the rich.
“Unemployment rates are highest in past 40 years, two lakh industries have closed down, the automobile sector is finished, diamond trade has shut down. But, the media won’t speak about it. If youth ask for jobs, the government tells them to watch the moon. The government speaks about (abrogation of) Article 370 and moon, but is silent on problems plaguing the country,” Rahul said.
“Maharashtra is the foundation of Congress. No one shall be able to take out Congress out of people of Maharashtra,” Rahul said adding that he is sure of party’s victory in the state.
The Congress leader also raked up the Rafale deal issue to target the Modi government, days after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh received the first fighter jet from France.
Addressing a poll rally in Chandivali assembly constituency in Mumbai, his second in the day, Gandhi accused the BJP of "dividing and looting" India like the British had done in the pre-Independence era.
"It seems the Rafale deal is still hurting the BJP. (If not) Why Rajnath Singh went to France to receive the first fighter jet?" he asked the audience.
In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had alleged "irregularities" in the Rafale deal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.