Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that Narendra Modi was perpetually on “PR mode”, highlighting the slew of political meetings the Prime Minister had addressed since the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.
“For even five minutes he cannot leave the PR behind,” the Congress president told a public meeting in Dhule, Maharashtra.
“A war was on; bombs were being thrown. I instructed Congress workers and leaders that no finger-pointing should be done at the government. The country needed to stay together,” Rahul said.
“But the day Pulwama happened, the Prime Minister was busy attacking the Congress and the Opposition. He goes to the inauguration of the National War Memorial (on Monday) and attacks the Congress and the Opposition…. This is the difference between us.”
After Wednesday’s cross-border retaliation by Pakistan, Rahul had cancelled a scheduled Congress Working Committee meeting while Modi stayed busy addressing BJP booth workers across the country through videoconferencing.
A lunch that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was to host after a meeting of the Opposition parties in Delhi too was cancelled.
In contrast, a video has emerged showing Karnataka BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa politicising Tuesday morning’s cross-border air strikes by India, saying they would help his party win at least 22 of the state’s 28 Lok Sabha seats.
Rahul underlined on Friday that the aircraft used in Tuesday’s raid had been manufactured at the Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which was bypassed in favour of Anil Ambani’s Reliance in the award of the Rafale offset contract.
“Did Anil Ambani manufacture the MiGs and Sukhois which defended the country? What was the mistake of HAL that the contract was given to Anil Ambani? HAL has been manufacturing these for the last 70 years,” Rahul said, alluding to the Rafale deal, his main poll plank against Modi.
He said the new Congress governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan had honoured the party’s poll promises on minimum support prices and farm loan waivers.
“We gave (the country) the Green Revolution, White Revolution, computers, the right to information, right to food, MGNREGA (the rural job guarantee scheme),” Rahul said.
“We have promised a minimum income guarantee and will do that. We don’t want two Indias, one of the rich industrialists and the other of the poor. We want one India.”
Rahul threw a challenge to his audience: “I have been in politics since 2004. Find out one promise that I made and did not fulfil. Also look for one promise that Modi made and has fulfilled. I too am searching but haven’t found any.”
Rahul later addressed a rally in Mumbai, where he challenged Modi to a debate on corruption. “Give me 15 minutes with him. I will see how he does not flee the country. Darpok hai (He’s a coward),” he said.
He promised better housing for slum dwellers and claimed that journalists had told him “they are under pressure, they are threatened”.
