BJP only favours industrialists, says Rahul in Karnataka rally
DEVADURGA: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Centre favoured industrialists over farmers, labourers and petty traders, accusing the National Democratic Alliance government of destroying the rural economy by implementing measures such as demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which he ridiculed as the Gabbar Singh Tax.
Speaking at a tribal rally in Raichur district’s Devadurga as part of the Janashirvada Yatra in the poll-bound state, Gandhi said India was losing in the competition against China because everywhere one looked, one could only see products made in the neighbouring country. “Shirts, cameras, cars; everything is made in China,” he said, adding that while that country created 50,000 jobs a day, the Modi government could only manage 450 per day.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should explain how BJP president Amit Shah’s son’s company earned profits, while small traders shut shop after demonetisation. “Small traders are shutting shop, but there is only one company that grew its business from ₹50,000 to ₹80 crore. That belongs to Amit Shah’s son,” Gandhi said, referring to a recent controversy surrounding Jay Shah. “You tell youngsters to become entrepreneurs and you don’t give them employment,” he added.
The Congress president likened Modi’s leadership to a batsman who looks at the wicketkeeper, unlike Sachin Tendulkar, who faces the bowler. “Siddaramaiah (Karnataka chief minister) looks at the ball and Modi looks at the wicketkeeper when the ball comes. Mistakes happen because of this. Demonetisation happens. Farmers, adivasis are affected,” he said.
Reacting to Gandhi’s comments, senior state BJP leader KS Eshwarappa said these were desperate attempts to discredit the good work done by Modi. “Gandhi himself is unemployed, which is why he is making such comments,” Eshwarappa said. “Clearly, he has not studied the various measures taken by the Modi government to promote employment,” he added.
The Congress president also visited the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Bande Nawaz in Kalaburagi. “I like to go to mandirs. I like to go to masjids. I will go wherever I like to go. There’s no politics in this,” he said.