Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of harping on Pakistan, instigating Indians against Indians and lying to mislead the nation instead of dealing with real concerns like alarming unemployment and the failing economy.

Addressing his first election rally in Delhi, Rahul said: “Ulti-seedhi baat karni hai, ek Hindustani ko doosre Hindustani se ladana hai aur satta mein rahna hai (He will indulge in meaningless talk, instigate one Indian against another and remain in power.)

“He will harp on Pakistan, terrorism, but not jobs. He doesn’t have the guts; he is incapable of dealing with the unemployment crisis.”

Rahul’s entire speech at Jangpura revolved around the gravity of the employment situation and the deployment of hate as a diversionary ploy.

He said: “India is not benefited by the politics of hate and violence. It may help Modi and the BJP but India suffers. We should remember that development and growth are impossible without discarding the sinister agenda of hate.”

At another rally in Sangam Vihar, Rahul said: “The Prime Minister is obsessed with power alone, not interested in your welfare. He believes, ‘I need not worry about jobs, I want to destroy India’s unity, I want to spread hate, I want to change the old India which the entire world looked up to.’ The whole world is worried because India is drifting into an uncertain future. They all know a divided India, filled with hate and in turbulence, cannot grow. If jobs are not created, the level of violence in society is going to grow alarmingly.”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also addressed the rally, said: “Issues have vanished from the public discourse. The Prime Minister talks a lot but never refers to your problems. A recent report said 3.5 crore jobs were lost in seven key industrial sectors. Is this sanyog (accidental) or a prayog (experiment)? Unemployment has reached a 45-year-high – is this sanyog or prayog?” She was taunting the Prime Minister, who had said on Monday that the Shaheen Bagh protest was not a “sanyog” but a “prayog”.

Anyone raising questions about people’s welfare was being condemned as a traitor and anti-national, Priyanka said. “The people are the masters in democracy. You have the capacity to see through the propaganda. Take your vote seriously; introspect about what kind of India you want. Think why issues that directly affect your lives are being deliberately pushed out of election discourse,” she urged the rally.

Referring to Modi’s claim that his government was working fast despite hurdles raised by the Opposition, she said: “They are indeed working fast. They haven’t made anything but are selling everything, very fast. All public sector units built by the Congress are being sold — Air India, LIC, BPCL, railways….”