Rahul to take over as Congress president

dharampur — Continuing his scathing attacks on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday termed the party as “an empire” that can only be ruled by one single family. He also said the Congress “disliked Gujarat and hated it” and so the people of Gujarat should “punish” the Congress.

Modi, on the second day of his two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, addressing a massive crowd at Malanpada in Dharampur, a Congress bastion, said: “The Congress dynasty which has reigned in Uttar Pradesh since five decades, have we ever maligned them, insulted them? Insulted other states? But not a single day passes when every Congress leader curses Gujarat. What is our fault? They cursed Sardar Patel. What was his fault? That he worked for the good of the country?”

Continuing in the same vein, Modi said, “Indira Gandhi had our Morarji Desai jailed for months. Why such animosity for Gujarat? Gujarat should teach them a lesson that they stop insulting Gujarat. Gujarat has never been on anybody’s mercy.”

Speaking about the election for Congress president, the PM said, “Congress has now abandoned all shame. Such persons (Rahul) who have been charged by the court, who is on bail, such persons whom we would not entrust the president post of a district, is now being given the president’s post in the party. What kind of culture prevails in Congress?”

“This is an empire where only the dynastic heir rules. Whereas for me, the people are my high command. We ask votes on the basis of development.”

Mentioning the recently held local body elections in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said: “The people of UP have now recognised the Congress and have wiped out them out, who ruled the state through five dynasties. Now the Congress has accepted that they cannot harm Modi in 2019 and now they don’t have anywhere to go. So their target is to malign Gujarat. —