Rahul tears into Modi, lays down Cong vision
PLENARY CONCLUDES Assures Cong workers of breaking walls between them NEW DELHI:
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not fighting corruption but was “corruption himself” and under him, the country is controlled by “corrupt and powerful”.
“The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India’s biggest businessmen and the Prime Minister,” Gandhi said while addressing the Congress’s plenary session here.
Referring to the former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi and diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, who are accused in different cases of fraud, he said that “Modi gives Modi ₹30,000 crores of your money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections”.
Hitting out at the government over the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, Gandhi said: “Modi personally changed Rafale deal and bought 36 aircraft for the same price that we the Congress negotiated for 126.”
“We paid ₹570 crore per plane and Modi paid ₹1,670 crore for the same plane. He paid ₹1,100 crore more per plane.
“Modi is not fighting corruption as Modi is corruption,” he said, adding that under Modi, the “country is being controlled by the corrupt and the powerful”.
Gandhi also equated the BJP and RSS with the “Kauravas” of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, saying they were designed to “fight for power”.
“Like the Kauravas, the BJP and the RSS are designed to fight for power, but like the Pandavas, the Congress is designed to fight for truth,” he said.
Taking a potshot at BJP President Amit Shah without naming him he said: “They (the BJP) will accept a person with the murder charge as their party President.”
Gandhi voiced the hope that India would in the next decade play an all-important role on the global stage. “There are two visions in the world -- of US and China. In 10 years, I want to see India’s vision there,” he said.
He assured party workers that he would break walls between them and leaders and vowed to fill the Congress stage with “talented youngsters”.
He stressed the need for discipline, and said, “Let us put all differences aside and work together to ensure victory for the party”.
Union HRD minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar attacked Rahul Gandhi over his speech, saying he should apologise for his party’s misdeeds first and then attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“While accusing Modi government he forgets that Congress did worst of genocide of Sikhs, they brought censorship in media and are known for all kinds of corruption and scams. He should first apologise for all that,” Javadekar said.
Reacting to Gandhi’s Kaurava-Pandava remarks, Javadekar said, “He has insulted Hindu religion and people’s faith.”
The BJP leader also said that Gandhi’s accusations against Amit Shah are part of a “conspiracy”.