Rahul intensifies attacks on Modi

“I want to ask: has there been any suicide in a corporate family despite debts and NPAs (non-performing assets)? No, because their loans are waived. Only farmers are left to fend for themselves.”

“Modi has hollow sermons, lies and false promises for the ordinary people. When industrialists come suited and booted, they sit together and discuss things,” he said. “When you go to Modi to discuss farmers’ issues, he doesn’t utter even five words.”

‘How much does he know?’

Countering allegations made by Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Mandsaur, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has questioned the Congress president’s knowledge and gave a point-by-point rebuttal to his speech.

In a post on Facebook titled “How Much Does He Know”, Jaitley wrote, “Every time I listen to the view of Shri Rahul Gandhi, both inside and outside Parliament, I ask myself the same question — How much does he know? When will he know? Listening to his speech delivered in Madhya Pradesh today reaffirms my curiosity about the answer. Is he being inadequately briefed or is he being a little too liberal with his facts.”

Jaitley countered the Congress president’s allegations on the issues of farm loans, loans given to industrialists, unemployment and connectivity between the cities and villages. On Rahul’s accusation that the Prime Minister waived off loans worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore of 15 top industrialists, the minister wrote, “The government has not waived off a single rupee due from any industrialist. The facts are to the contrary. Those who owed money to the banks and other creditors have been declared insolvent and removed from their companies by IBC enacted by Prime Minister Modi’s government. These loans were given largely during UPA”

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi has intensified his accusations about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi harbouring a pro-corporate outlook . Rahul accused Modi of working for a few corporate houses while showering “lies and false promises” on citizens on a day the Centre announced a package for sugarcane farmers and speculation swirled about a possible social security programme for unorganised-sector workers.

“Have you heard of Mehul Choksi? Do you know how Modi ji addresses him? Modiji fondly calls him Mehul bhai,” Rahul told a crowd. “He tells the likes of Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi (bank fraud accused who have fled the country), ‘You have swindled public money? No problem, take Rs 30,000 crore more and run away’.” Rahul was addressing a farmers’ rally in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, on the first anniversary of the death of six farmers in police firing there. “Na saza, na aatmahatya. Paise lo, bhag jao (Neither punishment, nor suicide. Take money and flee,” the Congress president said, warming to his theme.  “I want to ask: has there been any suicide in a corporate family despite debts and NPAs (non-performing assets)? No, because their loans are waived. Only farmers are left to fend for themselves.”

Rahul alleged that Modi had had only “silence” to offer when he went to the Prime Minister’s office with a demand for a loan waiver for farmers.

“Modi has hollow sermons, lies and false promises for the ordinary people. When industrialists come suited and booted, they sit together and discuss things,” he said. “When you go to Modi to discuss farmers’ issues, he doesn’t utter even five words.”

Talking about farmers and jobs, he went on to say: “This government cuts deals with corporate houses, encourages thieves to loot and scoot, and betrays the farmers.”

Rahul asserted he would not make promises of depositing Rs 15 lakh in everybody’s bank account – a dig at a 2014 campaign promise by Modi that the party later declared a “jumla” (hyperbole). “If you are interested in lies, you are wasting time here. I don’t make false promises. But I can tell you, farmers’ loans will be waived within 10 days of our assuming power,” Rahul said. “I can assure justice to the families whose members were killed in police firing. I can assure food processing units in every district and jobs for the youth,” Rahul Gandhi added.