Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, claimed that an INDIA bloc storm is arriving in Uttar Pradesh and asserted that Narendra Modi will not become the prime minister of the country this time.
Addressing a rally in Kannauj, from where Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the Lok Sabha election, Rahul Gandhi said, “Take it in writing, Narendra Modi will not become the prime minister of India. It is over.”
“Aap likh ke le lo (take it in writing),” he said at the rally which was also addressed by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Aam Aadmi Party Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh. This was their first joint rally of the INDIA bloc in Kannauj.
Congress and Samajwadi Party, both constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Congress is contesting 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP.
“The BJP is going to suffer its biggest defeat in UP... there is a storm blowing in favour of the INDIA bloc in the state,” Rahul said.
The INDIA bloc leaders appealed to the people to vote for the opposition alliance to power and listed all that they proposed to do for the people if they win.
Rahul added that UP paves the way for the country and it has made up its mind to bring a change.
Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks that there was a nexus between the Congress and business tycoons Adani and Ambani, Rahul Gandhi said, “You have seen that in 10 years, Narendra Modi ji had not taken the names of Adani and Ambani, but now he was taking the names of people who he thinks could save him.
He said the BJP would try its best to “deviate” the attention of the people through different means in the next 10-15 days and warned the electorate not to fall in the saffron party’s trap.
“We must not get deviated.... Today, the only issue of utmost importance is to save the Constitution. This Constitution gives powers to the poor and the deprived,'” Rahul added.
Flashing a copy of the Constitution, the Congress leader said that the BJP had made up its mind to change the Constitution if it returned to power. “We will never allow any power to change the Constitution,”' he said.
Rahul also accused the BJP of taking money from the Covid vaccine manufacturers in the form of electoral bonds.
“'Modiji asked you people to clap and bang thalis during COVID-19.... While people were dying from lack of oxygen, he and his party took money from the vaccine maker,” he alleged.
Rahul Gandhi promised that one woman in every family would get Rs 1 lakh every year till the family rises above the poverty line. He also promised to increase MGNREGA wages and ensure apprenticeships for the youth in different streams.
Addressing the rally, Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP by saying that the INDIA bloc was poised to win the Lok Sabha polls. He emphasised that, “Those who break the society must be punished.”
“Kannauj never left me and I will never leave Kannauj,” Akhilesh said, adding that Kannauj was taken to the heights of development by the earlier SP government in UP. He said people who travel the Agra-Lucknow Expressway know that it was built by the 'Samajwadis'.
“We assure the people of Kannauj that we will work to enhance the fragrance of development which has stalled,” he said, alluding to the region's perfume trade.
“The BJP cleaned the chief minister’s official residence in Lucknow with Gangjal when I vacated it and now, they recently washed a temple after I prayed there. You should ensure that they get washed away this time,” the SP chief said.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh claimed that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wanted to change the Constitution to end reservation.
“We will get forfeited the election deposits of whoever is trying to destroy Babasaheb’s Constitution,” he said.
He said that most of the top AAP leaders were in jail but this had not diminished their will to fight against the government.
Polling is slated in Kannauj on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
