Day after Kolkata rally, Modi, Rahul trade barbs
The Opposition’s mahagathbandhan is an alliance of capitalists, corruption, scams, negativity and instability... They have ‘dhanshakti’ , we have ‘janshakti’ NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi traded barbs over the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday in remarks triggered by a rally of leaders from 18 opposition parties that vowed to oust the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from power.
Modi criticised the proposed “grand alliance” of opposition parties for the general elections, saying the “mahagathbandhan was a grouping of corruption, scams, negativity and instability”. “The Opposition has ‘dhanshakti’ (money power), we have ‘janshakti’ (people’s power),” he said while addressing the BJP’S booth-level workers from five cities through his app.
On Saturday, 23 political leaders cutting across regional and ideological barriers staged a massive show of strength at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground, with about 500,000 people attending the rally spearheaded by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.
Shortly after the rally, Modi
The cries for help are the cries of millions of unemployed youth; of farmers in distress; of oppressed Dalits & Adivasis; of persecuted minorities...
RAHUL GANDHI, Congress president
took a dig at the opposition leaders and said “they are so afraid of us… that they have gathered parties from across the country and are crying ‘bachao, bachao, bachao’”.
Gandhi responded to Modi’s remark in a tweet on Sunday: “Your Highness, The cries for help are the cries of millions of unemployed youth; of farmers in distress; of oppressed Dalits & Adivasis; of persecuted minorities; of small businessmen in ruin; begging to be freed from your tyranny & incompetence. In 100 days they will be free.”
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Congress president did not attend Saturday’s Kolkata rally but the party’s leader Mallikarjun Kharge was present at the event and read out a message by Sonia Gandhi that said the gathering was an “important attempt” to galvanise leaders to fight the “arrogant and divisive” Modi government. The opposition leaders also demanded the use of ballot papers instead of the electronic voting machines (EVMS) in the general elections over questions of tampering.