Rahul Gandhi at Ranchi Rally
In yet another offensive, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that one chowkidaar had defamed all the chowkidaars. All 'chowkidaars' are not thieves, only 'desh ka chowkidaar' is a thief, he said at a Congress rally in Ranchi. Senior leaders from the main opposition parties - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) and Rashtriya Janata Dal - shared the stage with Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi's Ranchi Rally: KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Rahul Gandhi said 'chowkidaars' (watchmen) come to him and complain about the slogan 'chowkidaar chor hain' (watchmen are thieves).
- They say they are not thieves but honest people, and ask me to change the slogan, the Congress chief said.
- "I tell them not to get worried, the entire country knows that when we say 'chowkidaar chor hain' its meant that we are talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Gandhi said.
- Gandhi said, "One chowkidaar has defamed all the chowkidaars."
- The Congress chief also attacked the prime minister on the Rafale issue, alleging corruption in the fighter jet deal even as the government has repeatedly denied the allegations of graft levelled by the opposition party.
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) protects the country, but the Prime Minister has 'snatched' Rs 30,000 crore from the force, he said.
- There was 'corruption' in the Rafale deal and Rs 30,000 crore was wrongfully given to Anil Ambani," Rahul said, adding that Modi also duped the farmers, the tribals and the labourers of the country.
- "The Congress brought the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and the Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996 to protect 'jal' (water), 'zameen' (land) and jungle. But the Modi government tried to dilute the land acquisition law in states where it is in power by curtailing its provisions to help the industrialists," Gandhi said.
- "Modi wants to divide the country into two parts, one for Adani and Ambani and the second for the poor people. We will not allow this. If the loans given to Adani and Ambani are waived, the same should happen with the farmers' loans," Gandhi said.
- "The entire opposition is united in Jharkhand and we will win all the 14 seats. Six months after the Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state will be ousted too," the Congress President said.
