Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that if his party comes to power following the Lok Sabha elections, it will empower the public to fight corruption, starting with the Rafale deal.
Gandhi told Hindustan in an interview that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to live up to the promises he made during the 2014 election campaign. “We have promised to deposit Rs 72,000 every year in the bank accounts of the poorest of the poor,” Gandhi said. “Secondly, we will fill up all government jobs to create new employment opportunities for youth. We will have a separate budget for our farmers. Thirdly, we will empower the people of India to fight against corruption. It will begin with Rafale.”
Gandhi has accused Modi of helping businessman Anil Ambani secure the offset contract in the Rafale deal.
Asked why Pakistan has become an important matter in every election campaign, the Congress chief said that this is because Modi has failed to fulfill his poll promises, and hence is trying to divert attention.
Gandhi said the Congress will try to put the economy back on track if it comes to power. “My priorities are to put the Indian economy back on track, end the pain of farmers and workers, employment for the youth and pave the way to the future,” he said.
The Congress chief said his party will win more seats than what pollsters have predicted. “This is not fully visible in newspapers and television channels because we know that the BJP government puts pressure on media and uses the government’s advertising funds to control the narrative,” he claimed.
Gandhi claimed that the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance in Tamil Nadu will win all 39 seats. He said the party will also get good results in its alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, and in Uttar Pradesh too, it will win seats though it is not part of a coalition. Gandhi added that it was the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, which decided not to ally with the Congress.
The Congress president said that his party told the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi that it was willing to concede four out of seven seats in an alliance to defeat the BJP. “But I do not know why they changed their mind,” he said. “Now they talk about Haryana, talk about Punjab, talk about Goa, too. It is their decision to not form an alliance in Delhi.” On Monday, the Congress released a list of candidates for six out of seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi.
Gandhi also said that while his fight is against Modi’s ideology, the prime minister seems to harbour personal animosity towards him. “I neither have any anger nor any desire for vengeance against Modi,” he said. “But he has anger and the need for revenge.”
The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, and the results will be declared on May 23.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!