NDA gas balloon will burst again like 2004, 2009: Rahul Gandhi

Aurangabad/Godda: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today said like 2004 and 2009, the NDA's “gas balloon” would burst again while claiming that the UPA government did remarkably well, as the BJP talked divisive politics.“Their balloon of India Shining burst in 2004 as well in 2009... This time they are also filling a similar balloon with a gas cylinder which will also burst like in the past,” Gandhi told an election meeting at Aurangabad in Bihar. Like in the past, the NDA is playing colourful music and distributing sweets in anticipation of winning the polls, but it will meet the same fate as in 2004 and 2009, he said. Ridiculing BJP's Gujarat model of development, he said, “Bihar needs its own model of development and not any other model from outside.”Earlier at Godda in Jharkhand, he said that the ‘Gujarat model' would not be applicable in the entire country. “The UPA government has performed remarkably well... and don't get misguided by tall promises, and vote for the Congress candidates.”The Congress spoke about the poor and the common people, he said. “The Congress has always worked for unity and development of the country.”He also took potshots at BJP for raising the corruption issue and questioned it on the reinduction of B S Yeduruppa of Karnataka into the party fold.The Congress leader accused the BJP of joining hands with a party like MNS of Raj Thackeray which had targeted people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh in Mumbai and Maharashtra.“Similarly, many Sikhs told me that their land was taken away at a lower rate in Gujarat in the name of development and even then Akali Dal which claims to be their champion chose to remain silent,” he alleged.Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Gandhi said, “He was a minister in the NDA government, but chose to remain silent when the Gujarat riots took place in 2002.” “When elections are round the corner, he has started making a noise about ideology,” the Congress leader said. Questioning Kumar's claims of providing computers in schools and creating jobs for the youth, he asked, “How many of you got employment?”Seeking to compare the performance of UPA government with NDA rule, the Congress leader said, “We lifted 15 crore people from poverty in the 10 years which is five times more than that during NDA's time.”He said because of progressive policies of UPA, 70 per cent of the population was above the poverty line and for the remaining 30 per cent efforts were being made to bring them into the fold of the middle class, he said. Recalling flagship schemes like MGNREGA, Land Reorganisation Act, RTI and Lokpal legislation to showcase achievements of Manmohan Singh government, he said, “NDA tried to create hurdles before enactment of all these schemes and legislations.“We plan to create jobs for 10 crore youth in future,” he said, adding UPA believed in working unlike NDA which was expert only in “marketing” itself.Unfolding future plans, he said, “On the pattern of Food Law, we plan to legislate right to health and right to roof above the head of the poor.”Gandhi's meeting at Aurangabad was delayed by about two hours as the helicopter by which he flew to Gumla from Godda in Jharkhand developed a snag.He took a special flight to Gaya and from there, flew by helicopter to Aurangabad.State Congress president Ashok Choudhary, Legislature Party leader Sadanand Singh and party nominee from Aurangabad and former Delhi police commissioner Nikhil Kumar shared the dais with Gandhi.RJD President Lalu Prasad was not invited to the rally and RJD banners and posters were missing.