Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Prime Minister is a “boxer” who with his “56-inch chest” entered the ring to fight unemployment and corruption but instead punched his own coach and veteran BJP leader LK Advani.
Campaigning for party candidate Shruti Choudhary in Haryana’s Bhiwani, which is known as India’s Boxing nursery and has produced renowned boxers like Olympic medalist Vijender Singh, Rahul said, “In the last election, India put a new boxer, Narendra Modi, in the ring. The boxer, who boasted of his 56-inch chest, entered the ring to fight unemployment, farmers’ woes, corruption and other issues. But the first thing he did was to deliver a punch on his coach Advani’s face.”
Continuing his tirade against Modi, the Congress chief said, “For the last five years, this boxer has hit India’s poor, weaker sections, farmers and now people are saying they do not want this boxer. He failed to understand who he is fighting against.”
“After he punched Advani ji, he runs after his team. One by one, he punches Gadkariji, Arun Jaitley ji, dhar, dhar, dhar,” Rahul said amid loud applause from the gathering.
The boxer knocked out small shopkeepers with demonetisation and Gabbar Singh Tax, he said referring to the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
From Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress has fielded its former member of Parliament Shruti Choudhry, grand daughter of former Haryana Chief Minister late Bansi Lal, and daughter of sitting MLA Kiran Choudhry. Shruti is pitted against BJP’s sitting MP Dharambir Singh.
In 2014, Shruti had finished third, losing out to Dharambir Singh by a margin of 1.3 lakh votes.
At the rally, the Congress chief also reiterated the alleged wrongdoings in the Rafale jet deal claiming that Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to an industrialist’s company.
He said NYAY will help generate jobs as it will spur economic activity. If the Congress forms the Government, no farmer will be arrested if he fails to repay his loan, he added.
Taking a veiled dig at Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress listens to the voice of the people. “I have not come here to say my ‘Mann Ki Baat’, but I am here to listen to yours. For the Congress, the people’s order is supreme,” he said.