Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to disclose details of his foreign trips, particularly his recent visit to Vietnam, saying the public had a right to know about the activities of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
“You just returned from Vietnam, but you don't talk about that. There should be transparency... Rahul ji, please give the public an account of all your foreign trips. How many days did you stay in Vietnam, whom did you meet, why did you go there, what was the programme...” Shah said at a BJP rally in Haryana's Karnal.
“You hold a constitutional position. The public has a right to know since you are the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha,” he added.
Shah also questioned Gandhi's criticism of electronic voting machines (EVMs), asking why Congress legislators had taken oath in Kerala after winning elections using the same machines. He cited Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress is in power, to challenge the party's position on EVMs.
“Rahul ji, there is a saying in Uttar Pradesh: ‘Naach na aaye aangan tedha’. People of the country no longer accept you, admit it,” Shah said.
He also challenged Gandhi to debate a BJP Yuva Morcha leader at a public venue in Haryana, saying the Congress leader was more interested in holding discussions on the streets than in Parliament.
“You ask Modi ji for a debate, you say ‘Tell me a venue’... Leave Modi ji aside. Pick a roundabout in Haryana, the president of our Yuva Morcha will debate with you,” Shah said.
Turning to alleged infighting within the Haryana Congress, Shah accused the party's booth-level agents of neglecting their responsibilities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“The Election Commission granted every political party permission to appoint a booth level agent (BLA). What were the Congress BLAs doing when the poll panel was conducting the SIR?” he asked.
Taking a swipe at the alleged rivalry between Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja, Shah said the party's booth-level agents were busy in the “Hooda-Selja kushti” instead of helping voters.
Shah also targeted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, asking him to learn from Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
“Farmers in Punjab are fighting for MSP. I want to tell Bhagwant Mann ji, learn from Haryana how to run a government. Our chief minister (Nayab Singh) Saini gave MSP on 24 crops. No one has any complaints here,” he said.
Attacking the Congress over its election guarantees, Shah claimed the party had failed to fulfil any of the 10 guarantees it had made in Himachal Pradesh. He, however, said the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Haryana had been fulfilled.
Citing recent World Bank data, Shah claimed that 50 crore people had been lifted out of poverty under Modi's leadership. He said 81 crore people had received free foodgrain over the past 12 years, while 49 crore had received free medical treatment worth up to Rs 5 lakh. He also cited the provision of tap water to 16 crore households, financial assistance to 13 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme and the construction of 12 crore toilets.
Taking aim at the Congress's record in government, Shah said former prime minister Indira Gandhi had given the slogan 'Garibi Hatao', but poverty had not been eradicated. He also accused the Congress-led UPA government of presiding over scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore during its 10-year rule.
Shah further cited the decline in the Congress's legislative strength during Rahul Gandhi's rise in the party, claiming it had fallen from 1,200 MLAs in 2007, when Gandhi became general secretary, to 900 when he became vice-president and 700 when he became party president.
He said the number had further declined to 600 after Gandhi launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022, while the BJP's tally of MLAs and MPs had consistently increased under Modi's leadership.
(With inputs from PTI)