Rahul Gandhi to Modi: Why make Gujarat pay for your mismanagement?
A controversy erupted on Wednesday when Mr Gandhi’s name appeared in a register meant for non-Hindus entering the Somnath temple.
New Delhi: Continuing his one-question-a-day series, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and asked him why the people of Gujarat should pay the price for his “financial mismanagement and publicity”.
“In 1995, the total debt on Gujarat was Rs 9,183 crore. In 2017, the total debt on Gujarat was Rs 2.41 lakh crore. That means a debt of `37,000 on every Gujarati. Why should the people of Gujarat pay a price for your financial mismanagement and publicity?” asked Mr Gandhi in a tweet.
The Congress vice-president also sought to set the record straight on the controversy related to his Somnath temple visit and BJP’s barbs questioning his religion.
“My grandmother and my family are Shiv bhakts, don’t make a political capital out of religion, my religion is my personal belief,” he said.
A controversy erupted on Wednesday when Mr Gandhi’s name appeared in a register meant for non-Hindus entering the Somnath temple. The Gandhi scion said on Thursday that he did sign the visitors’ book at the temple but the entry in the register meant for non-Hindu visitors was made by some BJP leader.
For attacking the BJP, Mr Gandhi has come up with slogan “22 salon ka hisaab, Gujarat mange jawaab”. He will pose one question daily to Mr Modi and the BJP which has been in power for 22 years in the state where voting for 182 Assembly seats will take place on December 9 and 14 The result will be out on December 18.
Earlier, Mr Gandhi wrapped up his two-day Gujarat visit on Thursday by campaigning in the Saurashtra region and promising a farm loan waiver within 10 days of the Congress coming to power in the state.
Addressing a public meeting in Amreli district, Mr Gandhi attacked the Prime Minister and said, “Modiji waived loans worth `1.25 trillion of his 5-10 industrialists friends, but Modiji and (Arun) Jaitleyji say that it is not their policy to waive off loans of farmers when they ask for it.”
“Modiji talked for 22 years about farmers, but you have not got anything, your land has been taken away, your water is diverted to industrialists and you do not get crop insurance,” said Mr Gandhi.
Addressing another public meeting, Mr Gandhi hit out at the Modi government over demonetisation. He said, “Demonetisation was implemented suddenly, may be he did not like the `500 and `1,000 currency notes. On November 8, the whole country was standing in line... But did you see any big industrialist from Gujarat in the queue outside banks? Did you see anyone coming in a Mercedes car?”
Terming demonetisation a money-laundering scheme, Mr Gandhi added, “Those who ride Mercedes cars, entered the bank from the back door, and got their black money converted. This is the reality of demonetisation. The thieves got their black money laundered and you were left standing in queues.”
The Congress is locked in a fierce electoral battle with the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. The BJP is battling a 22-year-old anti-incumbency but is hoping that the popularity of Mr Modi will help them clinch the elections.
While the Congress is latching on to the discomfort of the influential Patidar community, demanding a job quote, it has also struck an electoral alliance with Hardik Patel the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti.
Mr Gandhi has been on a temple run during the campaign, eager to remove the party’s tag of being pro-minorities. In his campaign visits, had declared that he is a “Shiv bhakt” and a practicing Hindu.