People are feeling betrayed by PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi
Dhar (MP), Oct 30: Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "failed" to keep his electoral promise of ushering in "acche din" (good days) and people are feeling "betrayed" now.
Canvassing for the Congress in Dhar in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi also accused the prime minister of helping only select industrialists while neglecting farmers, tribals and youth of the country.
Gandhi said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to create two types of Hindustan -- one for the rich and another for the poor.
"On the contrary, the Congress believes in one Hindusthan where if loan of rich people is waived similarly the debt of farmers will also be waived," he said.
The state BJP unit, however, said Gandhi was levelling "false and fabricated" allegations as the Modi government has done a lot for youth of the country by facilitating setting up of new factories and start-ups, while a number of schemes have been launched to help the poor and tribals.
In his speech, Gandhi said people of India, especially youths, had voted Modi to power by trusting him for the promises he had made.
The Congress chief began a two-day tour of the Malwa-Nimar region, a BJP stronghold, in the central Indian state, from Ujjain on Monday.
The Congress has been out of power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003 and is trying to make a comeback in the forthcoming assembly elections, scheduled to be held on November 28.
Gandhi said the Congress will waive loans of farmers in Madhya Pradesh within ten days if it is voted to power in the state.
"If new chief minister (of Congress) delays waiving loans of farmers even by one day (beyond the promised ten days), we will install a new chief minister," he said.
The Congress president also promised to set up food processing units near farms so that farmers could avail good price for their produce and their wards get employment.
Continuing his attack on the BJP government at the Centre, Gandhi said, "After coming to power, prime minister Narendra Modi failed to help tribals, youths, labourers and farmers, and instead helped only 10-15 industrialists like Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, as a result of which people are feeling betrayed."
He said, "I wanted to ask you how many youths were given employment by Ambani and Nirav Modi. Life of how many farmers have they changed?"
While the BJP and the government have rejected these allegations, Gandhi has been accusing the Modi government of allowing liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is facing loan default cases, as well as businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi flee the country. Besides, he has been alleging undue benefits in the Rafale deal to Anil Ambani's Reliance group, which has rejected the charges.
Nirav Modi and Choksi are accused in the alleged multi-crore PNB fraud.
"While he (Modi) has given Rs 35,000-40,000 crore to industrialists then why couldn't he give the money to you and your children for their education? What wrong have you done? (for not getting the monetary aid)?" Gandhi asked.
"Earlier Modiji used to say 'acche din aayenge' (good days will come) but now people are saying 'chowkidar chor hai'. This is the state of affairs of the country in just four years," he said.
BJP have strongly reacted to similar allegations made by Gandhi in the past and has accused him of using abusive language for the prime minister.
Reacting to Gandhi's speech, the state BJP spokesman Rahul Kothari said these he was levelling "false and fabricated" allegations on performance of the Modi government.
"The Modi government has done a lot for youths of the country by establishing new factories and start-ups. These steps have started yielding results," he said.
"The government has launched schemes like the 'Prime Minister Housing Scheme' and the 'Ujjwala Yojana' (for providing LPG connections to women of BPL families) for the poor and tribals in a big way to help them," he said.
Kothari also countered Gandhi on the issue of development.
"Rahul Gandhi only talks about setting up mobile phone manufacturing factories in his speeches, but the Modi government has taken the number of such units from just two to 120 after coming to power," Kothari said.
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Prashant Kishor denied entry into ancestral village of Nitish Kumar
Bihar Sharif (Bihar), May 18 (PTI): Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor was on Sunday stopped by the administration from entering Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, where he wanted to interact with locals during his visit to Nalanda district.
Kishor, who wanted to launch his party's signature campaign demanding answers on "unfulfilled" government promises from the ancestral village of the CM, was stopped by the district administration and security personnel from entering the village. Kishor and his party workers wanted a face-to-face interaction with the residents of Kalyan Bigha.
Officials maintained that the Jan Suraaj Party did not seek prior permission to hold such a gathering at Kalyan Bigha.
"The Jan Suraaj Party had sought permission to hold a public meeting in Bihar Sharif (district headquarters of Nalanda) on May 18…the district administration had given them permission. The party had not sought permission for holding such an event at Kalyan Bigha…that was the reason they were not allowed to enter the village," Nalanda District Magistrate, Shashank Shubhankar, told PTI.
"Holding public meetings at a particular place requires a lot of preparations by the district administration, including police. That is the reason prior permission is mandatory for such gatherings. Since they had been given permission to hold the public meeting on May 18 in Bihar Sharif only,... They were asked to go to the place in Bihar Sharif for which the permission had been granted," said the DM.
Interacting with media persons, where he was stopped, Kishor said he wanted to interact with locals but was stopped.
"I wanted to interact with locals to see the situation in Kalyan Bigha, the ancestral village of the CM. But I am not being allowed. This is the government of Nitish Kumar. Earlier, they stopped Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from holding an interaction programme with students in Darbhanga. Now, they are doing it with me."
In a verbal exchange with officials of the district administration, Kishor was heard saying, "Will you stop me from entering the village ? Do I need permission to visit the village ? I want you to give it in writing, and then I will return. We are law-abiding people..."
The SDM was heard saying, "You need permission as there might be a law-and-order situation. People have filed a complaint."
Later, Prashant Kishor went to Bihar Sharif and addressed the gathering and also launched the signature campaign. The party launched a signature campaign demanding answers on "unfulfilled" government promises.
The signature campaign will focus on three points – what happened to the Nitish government's promise of giving Rs 2 lakh each to the 94 lakh poor families, 3 decimal of land to the Mahadalit families and corruption in the ongoing land survey.
Earlier, Kishor had said that a Jan Suraaj Party delegation would collect signatures from one crore people across 40,000 villages in the state till July 11.
The signatures would then be submitted to the governor and the CM if the government "failed" to disclose within a month the status of delivering Rs 2 lakh to each of the 94 lakh poor families identified in the caste survey and of providing land to the landless.
