Narendra Modi an instrument of rich businessmen: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, on Tuesday stepped up his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming him an instrument of a few rich Indian businessmen.
During one of the roadshows taken out in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, parts of which fall in his constituency, Mr. Gandhi came down on the nowscrapped electoral bond scheme, calling it a form of extortion by Mr. Modi. Mr. Gandhi claimed that through the scheme, the BJP had got thousands of crores of rupees by extorting them from India’s businessmen. Turning to his translator, he then asked what was the Malayalam word for extortion. “In Malayalam, you say ‘kollayadikkal’. Modi calls it electoral bonds. What the common thief is doing on the street, the Prime Minister is doing at the international level,” he alleged.
Mr. Gandhi alleged that
Mr. Modi had given around ₹16 lakh crore to 20-25 businessmen in the country. He claimed that Mr. Modi’s job was to distract people from the real issues, protect the richest businessmen and forgive their bank loans. “He does not talk of the issues farmers are facing, the unemployment or the price rise,” the Congress leader pointed out.
Bid to alter Constitution
Mr. Gandhi accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of trying to change the Constitution and to destroy it. He claimed that this was the only big issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Gandhi alleged that Mr. Modi "does not have the understanding to run the country". The Congress leader mocked the Prime Minister for his statements asking people to bang steel utensils and switch on their mobile phone lights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Gandhi promised to waive the loans of farmers, give ₹1 lakh per annum to one woman from every poor family in the country and frame a law that will make it mandatory to provide one-year paid internships or apprenticeships to every graduate or diploma holder in the country. Under the proposed law, the interns and apprentices will get ₹1 lakh per year for their one year of training in their chosen eld in the public or private sector.
For women, he promised to provide 50% reservation in government jobs and government companies. "We will also ensure reservation for women in Parliament and Vidhan Sabhas immediately," he added.