JOIN USRahul lays stress on 'Sikh' and 'Punjabi' PM
“The Congress and the UPA talks about the welfare of the poor, the farmers, labourers and the common man. The BJP’s agenda does not include these classes and they represent only five per cent of India that is shining as reflected in their last election’s slogan,” Rahul told the audience while addressing three rallies at Moga, Ludhiana and Mohali. “You have to choose between two ideologies. You rejected the BJP’s ideology in 2004 and told them we want a common man’s government and the UPA delivered on its promise,” he said.
Keeping in view the Congress poll strategy in Punjab, Rahul lavished praise on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh telling the Punjabi electorate to vote for a ‘Sikh PM’ and a ‘Punjabi PM’. The congress candidates from 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab have been seeking votes projecting Dr Singh as a Sikh and Punjabi mascot.
Attacking the BJP and NDA for calling Dr Singh as ‘weak PM’, Rahul retorted that he had never seen a ‘weak Sikh’ during his travels within country and abroad. Rahul campaigned on Saturday for the youth Congress candidates in Punjab he had handpicked in line with his experiment of promoting youth. The candidates represent Sangrur, Anandpur Sahib and Ludhiana constituencies.
Castigating the BJP for raking up issues like slush funds in Swiss banks and terrorism, Rahul questioned why the Opposition parties were not raising issues like non-delivery of huge development funds meant for the poor at the grassroots level.
“My father once said that only 10-15 paise in a rupee from central funds reach the beneficiaries. I dream of the day when we are able to target at least 50 per cent of the funds to reach the poor,” Rahul said.
While stressing that the UPA government would try its best to bring back money stashed away in Swiss banks, he questioned why the BJP-led NDA never raised such questions whey they were in power for five years.
Rahul reeled off achievements of UPA regime especially mentioning the employment guarantee scheme, the enactment of the RTI Act and the Adivasis Act.