Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday lambasted BJP chief ministerial candidate Dr Kiran Bedi and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal for hankering for power. Addressing a public gathering around 4,500-5,000 people at Shastri Park in North-East Delhi, Rahul said he was astonished to see a Chief Minister sitting on dharna with obvious reference to Kejriwal.
“One cannot run a Government by sitting on dharna. Bedi and Kejriwal both were born out of Anna Hazare movement that was targeted against the UPA Government. Kejriwal ran away from governance because he was unable to fulfil the tall promises that he had made to the people,” Rahul said.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said he failed to deliver on his much tom-tommed promise of bringing back black money. He took potshots at Modi for wearing a suit worth Rs10 lakh during US President Barack Obama’s State visit.
Addressing an election rally, he also accused the Modi Government of succumbing to US pressure in resolving the nuclear deal logjam and claimed that in case of any accident in a nuclear plant, US companies will not have to pay compensation.
“He (Modi) had said I will bring back crores of black money, will deposit 15 lakh in every account. I want to ask you, did you get Rs15 lakhIJ You didn’t get anything but Modi wore a suit worth Rs10 lakh during Obama’s visit,” he said.
The pinstripe bandhgala suit Modi wore on Sunday during his talks with Obama in Hyderabad House had his name embroidered all over it, triggering a debate in the social media.
Congress poll managers seem a worried lot after Rahul’s rally at Shastri Park saw public enthusiasm on the wane. The party leaders had expected a turnout of over 10,000 because the area surrounding Shastri Park is considered a traditional Congress stronghold. During 2013 Assembly polls, 8,000-10,000 people had attended Rahul Gandhi’s rally.
In a veiled attack on Kejriwal and Bedi, he said the anti-graft movement led by Anna Hazare had people who “used to meet at lodi Garden in the morning to formulate ways to attack Congress.”
“They had made big promises. They said if Jan lokpal comes, corruption will be wiped out. Jan lokpal came, but did corruption ceaseIJ” Rahul asked. Criticising Kejriwal and AAP, he said AAP was created to weaken the Congress. “Our rivals know the only way to keep the poor out is to weaken the Congress,” he said.
On Kejriwal, he said that during UPA rule the AAP leader raised issues of rape and corruption, and held protests, but now he was keeping quiet when rape cases in Delhi have increased by 30 per cent. He accused BJP of inciting riots in poll-bound States and said not a single such incident had happened in the national Capital during his party’s 15-year rule.
Promising to restore communal harmony if Congress came to power in Delhi, Rahul said, “When riots took place in Trilokpuri, you didn’t see (Arvind) Kejriwal or anybody else. There were people from Congress who helped the riot-hit.” The Congress vice-president also accused the BJP of trying sow the seeds of division among various communities.