Congress president Rahul Gandhi continued his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he is no chowkidar but a bhagidaar in corruption, as is evident in the Rafale deal. The Congress chief kicked off a 'Jana dwani' (people's voice) rally in the run- up to the 2019 lok Sabha polls at Bidar in Karnataka on Monday, blasting Prime Minister Modi in the controversial Rafale fighter jet deal.
He said at Bidar on his way to Hyderabad ,“Modi ji has stolen jobs from the youth, especially engineers of Karnataka by cancelling the Bengaluru-based HAl's contract in the Rafale deal. He has snatched away jobs. The UPA Government had signed the Rafale deal with France where each aircraft’s cost was Rs 526 crore and there was a technology transfer to HAl clause too. But Modi decided to buy these aircrafts at an escalated cost of Rs 1600 crore each only to benefit his industrialist friend Anil Ambani through his 10-day-old company”.
“I dare Modi to openly debate about Rafale with me. Even Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has lied to the country in this regard,” he challenged.
"Nirmala Sitharaman said India and France have a secret pact and so they can't reveal the price of Rafale aircraft. I asked France president if this is true and he denied," he said.
"If there is guts, 56 inch chest, bring your Prime Minister in front of me, in front of the country...why is he silentij...why is he scared.... Why is he running awayij Why is he not answering putting eye into eyeij, Because chowkidar has become baagidar," he added.
“Modi is not the prime minister of the country, but of 15-20 rich businessmen. He chants Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, but he never told you that you are supposed to save girl child from BJP leaders. BJP MlAs are involved in sexual assaults against women and are suspects in the child abuse cases in the shelter homes in UP and Bihar. But Modi is mum and is perhaps trying to save his partymen,” Congress chief continued his attack on Prime Minister.
He also appealed to the party workers to educate people on agrarian crisis, farm loan wavier, women safety , GST inflation, fuel hike to attack the BJP. He assured the people that if congress comers to power will remove Gabbar Singh Tax but introduce simple GST.
He mocked at Modi and said “Modi ji says a dhaabawala's innovation led him to draw cooking gas from the nearby drain. In another, a farmer used a similar technology to run his irrigation pump. This is Modi's model for generating employment, where the Government does not waive farm loan, but advises educated youth to sell pakodas by drawing gas from a drain”.
“The previous Congress Government in Karnataka had waived off nearly Rs 10,000 crore as farm loan. This time, the coalition Government has waived off farm loans which are almost three times of the MSP (minimum support prices) hike announced by the Centre. I dare Modi ji to foot 50% of the total farm loan waiver,” he questioned the PM.
Rahul Gandhi who churned the poll sentiments for the 2019 in north Karnataka spoke about Article 371 J (special status that mandates reservation in education and employment and special grants) for Hyderabad-Karnataka districts which was opposed by BJP. He said “Deputy PM l.K. Advani had refused to accord special status. But the Congress heeded to the people's plea.”
Smelling a "scam", the Congress has been repeatedly targetting Modi on the decision to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, seeking answers to a volley of questions and accusing his Government of compromising on national interests.
India had inked an inter-Governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore. Congress has been alleging that Reliance Defence was chosen as the local partner for offset contracts worth crores, as per the 2016 annual report of Dassault Aviation and a press statement of Reliance Defence.
Caught in the eye of a political storm, Reliance Defence and Aerospace have said that it or any other Reliance group company has not received any contract from the Defence Ministry till date, relating to the 36 Rafale aircraft.
BJP president Amit Shah had on Friday rejected allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal, saying credence should be given to the statement of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who has said the base price of Rafale fighters negotiated by the government is less than what was finalised by the previous UPA dispensation.
This is Rahul Gandhi’s first meeting in Karnataka in Bidar sounding a poll bugle aiming at 2019 polls which are crucial for the party after formation of the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy of the JDs.