Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today hit back at Narendra Modi, saying that the Prime Minister can mock him as much as he wants but needs to explain if he indulged in corruption or not.
“Yesterday, I asked 2-3 questions in Gujarat regarding corruption. The PM did not answer those questions but instead mocked me,” Rahul said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich today.
“Make as much fun of me as you like... but answer my question,” the Congress leader said.
"I will ask the same question again. Did you indulge in corruption or not?" he asked at a 'jan aakrosh rally'.
"The charges have not been levelled by me alone but by the youth of India who feel cheated as you had promised them jobs," an aggressive Rahul said.
Waving sheets of paper which purportedly contained details of charges against Modi having allegedly accepted money from Sahara and Birla groups when he was Gujarat Chief Minister, the Congress vice president asked the Prime Minister to tell whether the documents were correct or not.
Sticking to his guns, he alleged Modi as the Gujarat Chief Minister had taken Rs 40 crore from the Sahara group in nine instalments spread over six months in 2013 and 2014.
Earlier today, Modi taunted Congress VP using his ‘earthquake’ remark and said that he is ‘happy that the leader has learnt how to deliver speeches’. The Prime Minister’s reaction comes a day after Rahul accused him of receiving crores in kickbacks as Chief Minister of Gujarat from Sahara and Birla.
Coming down hard against note ban, he insisted that the Prime Minister came out with the surprise decision not to help the poor but the "super rich 50 families of India".
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Rahul dubbed him as a "super event planner" who had made "perfect planning" to take the money from the poor to help the rich who owe as much as Rs 8 lakh crore to the banks.
"Suck the money from the poor and feed the rich. Take the money from 99 per cent and give it to one per cent," he said adding that this was the essence of the note ban and not to weed out black money and help the poor as claimed by Modi.
"I will repeat the same question to the PM...Congress wants to eradicate corruption and if the NDA initiates any step in this direction it will be extended full support but this note ban decision is not against corruption or black money.
"Modiji said those standing in bank queues are thieves. Today, I saw 100-200 people outside a bank. They were not thieves. Modiji they are not thieves but honest poor," he said, adding that there was not a single rich or "suited, booted" person who is seen on the Prime Minister's aircraft when he goes abroad, standing in the lines.
Earlier, Rahul took to twitter to attack the Prime Minister. "Modiji first tell us what was contained in the ten packets from Sahara," the Congress Vice President tweeted in Hindi.
Along with the tweet was posted a document purportedly with the Income Tax Department of nine entries from October 2013 to February 14 detailing "cash payments made to Modiji".
His comments came close on the heels of the Prime Minister, at a function in Varanasi, ridiculing Rahul's remarks about creating an "earthquake" with accusations of corruption against him.
Modi said he is happiest since the Congress leader has "learnt" to speak as he has unwittingly admitted the "failure" of his party's rule.
"They have a young leader who is just learning to give speeches. Since the time he has learnt to speak, there is no limit to my happiness. In 2009, you couldn't even tell what is inside this packet and what is not. Now we are finding out," Modi said without naming Rahul.
At a rally in Mehsana, home turf of Modi, Rahul had yesterday accused Modi of taking money from Sahara and Birla groups when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.
BJP had rejected the Congress leader's allegations as "baseless, shameful and mala fide".
