Congress president Rahul Gandhi has questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on rising fuel prices and the Rafale fighter jet deal, in which the party alleged a scam.
Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister, saying that the country is being divided under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule, at a rally held here on Monday as part of the Opposition’s Bharat Bandh over fuel price hike.
The Congress president declared that a united Opposition will defeat the BJP in the next elections.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was present at the rally but did not speak.
Addressing the protest rally with various Opposition parties at the Ramlila Grounds here, Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the BJP, saying that Prime Minister's claims that the achievements of the BJP Government in four years far exceed that of the Congress in 70 years.
He said that hatred is being spread by the BJP. "The rupee is lowest in 70 years. Fuel prices have hit the roof. The price of cooking gas has become 800 per unit. An attempt is being made to divide country," he said.
He alleged that small businesses have been finished and nobody knows the reason behind demonetisation. He also questioned the Prime Minister's silence on rising fuel prices, the Rafale jet deal and issues such as farmer suicides, atrocities against women and unemployment. Ramping up his attack against the Prime Minister, Gandhi said Modi in 2014 had made promises to the people of the country, youth, farmers and women, assuring them of jobs and their safety. "People believed in him and helped form his Government," he said.
Four years on, people are clearly seeing what he has done, Gandhi added. "Narendra Modi used to say that nothing has happened in 70 years and we will do that in four years. It is true, what he has done in four years has not happened in 70 years. Wherever you see, one Indian is fighting another. Wherever you go, they divide people -- one religion with another, one caste with another and one state pitted against the other," he said.
At the Ramlila grounds, Congress president was joined by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top Opposition leaders, Nationalist Congress Party's Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal's Sharad Yadav.
All Opposition parties are sharing a common platform, he said, adding that this is a reflection of opposition unity.
"Sharing the same ideology, we will together defeat the BJP," he said.
The Congress president said it is unfortunate that the pain of the people of the country, including farmers, youth and women, is being shared by opposition leaders present at the event but not by Narendra Modi.
"This is the difference between them and us. We promise from here that we will unitedly work together to remove the BJP," he said. Gandhi wondered why the PM was silent on rising petrol and diesel prices, farmer suicide, rapes in which BJP MLAS are involved and
the Rafale deal. "What the country wants to hear, what the youth want to hear, PM Narendra Modi does not talk about it. Don't know which world he is in, he keeps giving speeches. The country is fed up of seeing him," he said.While farmers are unable to find a way forward, only 15 to 20 crony capitalists are seeing the way forward, he alleged.
Delhi Congress workers staged dharnas at petrol pumps across the city, protesting against the hike in fuel prices. Senior Congress leaders, including Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken, protested by riding a bullock cart to a petrol pump near Rajendra Place. A scooter was kept on the cart to symbolise the plight of the common man. Thousands of party workers are on the streets protesting against fuel price hike by the government, said party leader Mukesh Sharma.
Maken said protests were held "peacefully" and the party did not want to create more problems for the people who are already hit by "unprecedented" rise in petrol and diesel prices.