Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to deliver on his promise to “create employment opportunities for two crore youth”. “If employment was given, why did four men commit suicide in Alwar?” Gandhi asked at an election rally in poll-bound Rajasthan’s Malakhera town.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state goes to polls on Friday.
Gandhi claimed India’s richest industrialists had “invested and marketed” to help Modi become prime minister. “And now Modi is paying their dues,” Gandhi said. He further said Modi had avoided speaking about the controversial Rafale jet deal, corruption and black money, as he was afraid the crowd will should “chowkidaar chor hai” (the security guard is the thief).
The Opposition party has repeatedly accused the government of overpaying for the Rafale fighter jets and claimed that the deal has benefitted industrialist Anil Ambani.
The Congress leader alleged that taxpayer money was diverted to help the rich. “So, rename welfare schemes as Nirav Modi yojana and Ambani yojana,” Gandhi said referring to fugitive businessman Nirav Modi and industrialists Anil Ambani.
Gandhi vowed that the Congress party, if elected to power, will ensure that farmers loans are waived. “We will show Modi how to waive off farm loans in 10 days of forming the government,” Gandhi said. “That is the true meaning of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. We should take care of those who built this nation.”
Modi in Rajasthan
Earlier on Tuesday, Modi claimed that Kartarpur – where the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak died in 1539 – could have remained in India but is in Pakistan today because of the Congress’ “lack of vision”. He was speaking at an election rally in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh.
India and Pakistan laid the foundation stone for a corridor linking the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district last week.
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