Rahul targets 'chowkidar' PM, questions his silence on Rafale, Mallya
Jaipur, Sep 20 : Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a variety of stinging barbs, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned Modi's silence on Rafale fighter jet deal scam, the flight of businessmen facing money-laundering charges and demonetisation fiasco.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls himself the country's watchman. But the Indian masses have started saying, 'gali gali mein shore hai, desh ka chawkidaar chor hai (there is noise in lanes that the watchman is a thief)," said Gandhi in Dungarpur while addressing a rally.
"I want this 'chowkidaar' to answer why the Rafale aircraft price went up over three times from the one contracted during the UPA's tenure; why Anil Ambani was taken to France to sign Rafale contract and why this chowkidar was silent when Vijay Mallya ran away from India with Rs 9,000 crore after meeting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley," Gandhi said.
He said the Prime Minister spoke of black money, brought in demonetisation and forced the entire country to stand in queues.
"Farmers, workers and labourers were seen standing in huge queues outside banks. But did you see any person in suits, or Lalit Modi or Vijay Mallya or Ambani standing in queues? It was only the poor who sweated outside the banks in queues," he said.
Even (Finance Minister) Jaitley confirmed that Mallya had met him before going to London. In such cases when a constable allows a thief to run, we put him also behind bars. Now, the Finance Minister helped a thief who ran away with Rs 9,000 crore. Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent? he questioned.
Rahul Gandhi also questioned if any of the citizens in India got Rs 15 lakh deposited in their account which the PM had promised.
He said that Congress would not make "fake" promises. "We shall never make promise of transferring Rs 15 lakh, but we promise that we shall make cent per cent efforts to promote Rajasthan," he added.
"We shall make an endeavour to listen to your 'Mann ki baat', instead of sharing our 'Mann ki Baat' which our PM does," he said.
Calling 'Make in India campaign a failed show, he said the Prime Minister promised to bring in new jobs. "However, you keep searching for Make in India label in your shirts, trousers, shoes and phones and only get to read Made in China."
When you see Narendra Modi smiling in a poster, and watch (Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje) smiling on TV, you should know that poster and ad in TV is being made from your money. Crores of public funds are being used to take out Gaurav yatras".
He declared that "Once Congress forms government, we will ensure that banks give loans to small traders, small and medium entrepreneurs and farmers so that no one has to fry pakoras", he said.
"We shall convert 'gabbar singh tax' into GST to ensure that small traders don't suffer," he said, adding that GST has been introduced to please a few industrialists without giving any thought for small traders.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
