JOIN USCongress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll narrative on national security by asking him why he “stole the Indian Air Force’s money and gave the Rafale contract to Anil Ambani.”
Gandhi was addressing separate public meetings at Raichur and Chikkodi, which go to polls on April 23 in the second phase.
“Modi had promised two crore jobs, Rs 15 lakh in every bank account, right price for farmers and so on. He didn’t do any of this. He doesn’t talk about any of this, but only national security. If you want to talk national security, tell me why did you steal money from the IAF and put Rs 30,000 crore in Anil Ambani’s bank account?” Gandhi said.
He also asked why the vexed Rafale contract was “snatched” from the HAL. “And why did the French president say India will buy Rafale at Rs 1,600 crore?”
Rahul, who shared the stage with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Raichur, said the Congress would form the next government at the Centre. “This election, people have decided to remove Modi from Delhi,” Rahul said.
He also espoused his pet scheme Nyay under which 20% of India’s poorest households will receive Rs 72,000 every year. “This will be a surgical strike on poverty. In one stroke, we will remove poverty. Modi asks where the money will come from. The money will come thieves like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya,” he said.
Gowda attacked Modi saying he had lost his balance of thought. “Modi says the Congress-JD(S) coalition is an adulterated government. He should be ashamed to speak like that. The BJP is also running adulterated (coalition) governments in 15 states,” he said.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah warned that Modi’s re-election as prime minister would “spell doom” for democracy. “If Modi returns to power, we may not have an election at all,” he said.
Chikkodi district?
Congress incumbent Chikkodi MP Prakash Hukkeri urged Gandhi to declare the creation of a new Chikkodi district, which is a long-pending demand. “The coalition government will try its best to make Chikkodi a district as well as the neighbouring Gokak,” Siddaramaiah said.
Ironically, the then Siddaramaiah government in 2017 had assured to look into the demand for separate Chikkodi district.
This was the last leg of Rahul’s campaign in Karnataka ahead of the April 23 polls.