Launching a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said the Centre’s policies were denying the people their rights and making their life difficult with the increasing unemployment and price rise. Ms. Vadra said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was resorting to “all possible tactics” for clinging to power at the Centre and in several States.
Ms. Vadra was addressing a rally at Sikrai in Rajasthan’s Dausa district ahead of the November 25 State Assembly election. While the rally formed part of the Congress’ campaign for Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), Ms. Vadra utilised the opportunity to highlight the State government’s flagship schemes and affirmed her party’s commitment to the State’s development and public welfare.
Ms. Vadra also accused the Modi government of working for the benefit of big industrialists, to whom the money from the poor people’s pockets was being diverted. “Public welfare can only be achieved through politics based on service and compassion. The BJP has no inclination to work for betterment of the society,” she said.
The Congress general secretary asked how many schemes had the BJP launched in Rajasthan when it was in power, while urging the people to break the tradition of voting out the incumbent government. The Congress, if re-elected in the upcoming polls, would ensure uninterrupted development of the State, Ms. Vadra said.
Citing the example of Prime Minister Mr. Modi donating ₹21 to a temple in the State in a closed envelope, Ms. Vadra said the BJP had a track record of delivering very little after making tall promises in the elections. “The PM can afford to buy two aeroplanes for himself for ₹16,000 crore and build the new Parliament for ₹20,000 crore, but has has no money for waiving farmers’ loans or giving Old Pension Scheme to the employees.”
“A real leader looks at the present and future, and does not talk about the past again and again,” Ms. Vadra said. She asked the people to remain cautious about emotive issues of religion and caste being raised during elections and not get carried away.
Questioning Mr. Modi’s call seeking votes in his own name during his repeated visits to Rajasthan, Ms. Vadra asked if he wanted to leave the Prime Minister’s post and become the Chief Minister of the State. “PM doesn’t seem to have trust in the leaders here, and several of them are declaring them as the CM. The entire BJP is divided, but the Congress is united,” she said.
Ms. Vadra praised the Congress government’s flagship schemes, saying they would get the people out of the difficulties created by the Centre’s policies. She said the State government had opened inflation relief camps for people’s benefit because the BJP government at the Centre had failed to control spiralling prices.
“If the BJP comes to power here, it will stop the Old Pension Scheme. What will happen to subsidised LPG cylinders and Chiranjeevi Yojana taking care of people’s health?” Ms. Vadra said.
The Congress leader also criticised the Agniveer scheme, saying it had led to the youths deciding against joining the Armed Forces, and added that the Centre had also finished other sources of employment. The public sector undertakings were sold and the GST and demonetisation had led to massive losses to informal sector and small businesses, leading to the highest unemployment in 45 years, she said.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress State in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pradesh Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot were among those present in the rally, which held in one of the Congress strongholds in eastern Rajasthan.
