Accusing Bharatiya Janata Party of using a 6-month-old speech against Congress candidate to divide society, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said that his party never supported such language. "It is not the language of the Congress and we never support such comments.
But these kind of words have been used by a party which believes in dividing the society," Rahul said while directly accusing the BJP of using a 6-month-old speech of the Congress candidate from Saharanpur to polarise voters.
Rahul said the Congress used "sweet language" which united everyone. "We speak a language that promotes unity and integrity," he said while exhorting the people to defeat the forces that divide the nation. Rahul, made these comments while going ahead with his public meeting in Saharanpur, despite arrest of party candidate Imran Masood in the wee hours of Saturday, much to the surprise of his opponents.
While Masood was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody in the hate speech case, a delegation of BJP met the Chief Election Commissioner and demanded cancellation of nomination of the Congress candidate who used abusing language against the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Taking on BJP both at Ghaziabad and later in Saharanpur, Rahul said the poor of the country would burst the "balloon" created by BJP, by pressing the button on the electronic voting machine. Seeking vote for Congress candidate from Ghaziabad, Raj Babbar, and Imran Masood from Saharanpur, Rahul mocked the BJP's 'India Shinning' campaigns in the 2004
lok Sabha election and the 'Gujarat Model' plank in the ongoing polls. "In the 2004 lok Sabha elections, the BJP decided to sell the 'India Shining' slogan. However, when the elections came, the people of India burst that balloon of 'India
Shining' by pressing the button on the EVMs. Then, in the 2009 campaign, they (BJP) came up with another campaign but again the people burst that balloon. Now, they have based their campaign on the Gujarat Model. This time the BJP has created the balloon of Gujarat Model, which will again burst in 2014. Jaise Dhoom 1 aai, phir Dhoom 2 aur Dhoom 3 aayi vaise hi India shining aaya aur ab Gujarat Model aaya. Hava nikal jayegi saari inki (like the ‘Dhoom’ remakes, they came up with ‘India Shining’ and have now come up with ‘Gujarat Model’ but this balloon will also burst in the 2014 polls)," he said.
Charging the BJP of believing in words and not actions, Rahul said: "The 'BJP just believes in giving speeches. On the other hand, we have delivered on 90 per cent of what we had promised in manifesto in 2009. 'We, not the BJP, brought in the lokpal Bill and the right to infomation(RTI). We pulled 15 crore people out of the clutches of poverty. But the BJP leaders say we are wasting money. The United Progressive Alliance has fulfilled promises like Aadhar, RTI and the food security. On their part, the BJP did everything they could to block the land
Acquisition Bill and the Food Security Bill," he said. Highlighting the achievements of the UPA, Rahul said it gave 'One Rank One Pension' to the armed forces that the National Democratic Alliance Government had failed to give in its six years of rule.
Accusing the BJP of encouraging corruption, Rahul said: "Modi's Cabinet in Gujarat has a tainted minister who has been to jail. Also, Modi does not see corruption in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh." Rahul said that while the Opposition wanted to give power to just one person, the Congress wanted to empower all Indians and aimed at ensuring development of the people with the help of education. "We will ensure your development with the help of education," he said.
The Congress vice-president said his party aimed to bring all poor people in the category of middle class in the next ten years. "We want all poor people in the middle class category. We will do this in 10 years. We will ensure that all of you are brought in the middle class bracket," he said. Rahul said that in its manifesto, the Congress promised to give people the right to health and housing just like the right to food ensured by the Food Security Act. "Our next target is right to treatment," he added.
Accusing the sitting MP and BJP president Rajnath Singh of neglecting Ghaziabad constituency, Rahul asked, "Yahan aapke saansad aaye kabhiIJ," and added: " Bade neta hain BJP ke, aaye hote to lucknow se chunav nahi ladna padta (Has your MP ever come hereIJ He is a big leader of the BJP. Had he visited his constituency, he would not have had to fight election from lucknow)''.
Meanwhile, condemning the arrest of Congress candidate from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee said it was a conspiracy hatched by the BJP on the basis of an old CD. UPCC media incharge and party spokesman Satya Dev Tripathi told newsmen here that the alleged election speech on the basis of which the Congress candidate was charged with threatening Narendra Modi was made on September 18, 2013 when Masood was in the Samajwadi Party. Justifying his claim, Tripathi said the person seen in the CD standing beside Imran Masood was one Sher Singh, a native of Deoband in Saharanpur district who had died in December last.
"A case has been registered against Masood on the basis of a CD which was made even before the election code of conduct came into force and also the occasion was the SP workers conference," the UPCC media incharge said. Tripathi said a delegation of Congress had met Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha and appraised him of the fact. He said the party was assured that the charges of violation of model code of conduct would be withdrawn as the speech was delivered much before the code of conduct came into action.
In the video clip, Imran Masood is seen issuing life threat to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The Saharanpur district police registered an FIR against Masood at Deoband police station under sections 153(A), 295(A), 504, 506 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 125 of the People's Representation Act and section 3(1)/1 of SC/ST Act and arrested him early on Saturday morning.