Rahul pulls no punches in attack on PM Modi, provokes BJP
Jaitley calls Rahul ‘ clown prince’ in a retort
Dungarpur, Sept. 20: In a no- holds- barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said people are now heard saying the country’s “watchman” is a “thief ”.
Mr Gandhi’s remark at a public meeting provoked a strong reaction from the BJP with Union minister Arun Jaitley calling him the “clown prince” who had no respect for the Prime Minister’s post.
Mr Gandhi was referring to the PM’s “silence” on the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France and the Modi government’s “failure” to bring fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya to book. He said he had asked questions on this in Parliament but got no reply, and took a jibe at Mr Modi’s past assertions on tackling corruption.
Mr Modi had said he did not want to become the country’s PM, but its ‘ chowkidar’ ( watchman), Mr Gandhi recalled.
He added now it is heard on the streets that the country’s ‘ chowkidar’ is a thief. “Galli galli mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai,” he said in Hindi at a rally in tribal- dominated Sagwara. He said this is what the people in Rajasthan and elsewhere in the country felt. Assembly elections will be held in the state later this year, shortly ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Mr Gandhi said people are disappointed with the BJP governments at the
Centre and in Rajasthan and the Congress is now set to win. “Neither the prime minister and the chief minister, nor their money can stop the change of government in Rajasthan,” he said.
He added, “Finance minister allowed Vijay Mallya who defrauded banks to leave the country but the PM did not break his silence.”
Referring to a recent row, Mr Gandhi claimed Mr Jaitley had “admitted” that Vijay Mallya met him before leaving the country.
“Mr Jaitley allowed Mallya who defrauded banks to tune of ` 9,000 crore to leave the country but the PM did not break his silence,” he said. Mentioning Mr Mod- i’s monthly radio talk, he said the PM speaks his ‘ mann ki baat’ in all his speeches but the Congress wants to hear what the people say. The Congress chief said the promise to provide empl- oyment to two crore youths every year and the Make In India campaign had failed.