New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched an attack on the Narendra Modi government blaming its policies for inflation and unemployment, and also accused the ruling BJP of spreading hatred in the country.
At a rally of the Congress party against price rise here at the Ramlila Maidan, the Congress leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of working at the behest of a few industrialists.
“You can see what is happening in the country. Ever since the BJP government has come, hatred and anger have been rising in the country,” Rahul Gandhi said at the ‘Mehngai Pe Halla Bol’ rally.
“Hatred is a form of fear. One who is scared hates, one who does not have fear does not have hatred in their hearts… In other words, fear is increasing in India. Fear of what? Of the future, price rise, unemployment. Because of that hatred is growing,” he said.
The Congress leader mentioned the government’s decisions like demonetization and the Goods and Services Tax and said its faulty implementation has affected small and medium industries.
“Narendra Modi did demonetization. Did the poor benefit from it? They took money out of the pockets of the poor. They said it is to fight against black money. In a few days, the loans of some of the biggest industrialists were forgiven,” he said.
“They will not give loan rebates to farmers, they say they work for farmers then why are farmers against them? Those three farm laws were for the industrialists not for farmers. The farmers of the country understood it and showed their might. When the PM realized farmers had united against him, he revoked the laws,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi said the GST that Congress wanted to implement was different from what the BJP government did.
“The situation of India today is that it cannot give employment to its people. Small and medium businesses provide employment. Their backbone has been broken,” he said.
“When the opposition wants to raise the issue in Parliament we are not allowed to speak. Whether it is farmers’ issues, Chinese aggression or unemployment, and price rise, we cannot raise any issue in Parliament,” he said.
“Narendra Modi is PM, but without the support of those two industrialists, he cannot be the PM. Institutions, whether, press, judiciary or election commission, there is pressure on everyone,” Wayanad MP said.
The Congress leader mentioned the upcoming ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and said going to the people directly was the only option left for Congress and other Opposition parties.
“What is the need for the Yatra? There is no other option for us but to go to people directly. Congress and other opposition parties have only one way, to go to the people and tell them the truth. Whoever tries to go against the Modi government is attacked. ED, CBI, IT everything is used,” said the former Congress president.
He also mentioned his recent questioning by the Enforcement Directorate, and said, “I was made to sit at ED for 55 hours. I want to tell Narendra Modi: ‘I am not scared of your ED’.”
The rally comes ahead of the nationwide ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ of the Congress which will be started from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, on September 6.
Earlier, on August 5, Congress leaders had held a protest against price rise. Several party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained outside Congress headquarters and Parliament as they staged a protest against inflation.
