Rahul says Modi took ‘Loans’ from Industrialists in 2014

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who addressed a rally of farmers and mazdoors at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, levelled serious allegations against PM Narendra Modi. “Modi took loans from the top industrialists during 2014 polls. He is now going to snatch the land of farmers to repay those loans”, he said.

“It is a matter of concern for farmers that the land bill is being changed”, said Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi while addressing his first rally on Sunday after a leave of absence of nearly two months.

Rahul Gandhi spoke about the Land Acquisition Act 2013, brought in by the UPA government, and charged the NDA government of working in the interests of the rich. “Land Acquisition Act 2013 is being changed …it’s also cause of concern for you,” he said, adding that the rest of industry came only after farming which laid the foundation of the country.

Speaking at the well-attended Kissan Khet Majdoor rally at Ramlila Maidan here, he said that the central government was anti-farmer and anti-poor as it can’t see “the efforts they made to establish the country”.

Rahul said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a three-nation tour, made comments saying that he was clearing the mess of the last 50 years in the country. “I feel sad to hear this as prime minister can’t see the efforts of the poor and the farmers who actually laid the foundation of the country,” he said.

Rahul said that the poor and the farmers were feeling afraid under the present regime as they don’t know what’s going to happen to them next. He also talked about how the UPA government worked for the poor and the farmers of the country. “It’s a country of farmers and labourers,” he said.

The Congress sought to put the Narendra Modi government on notice over its land bill with all its top leaders – Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh – signalling the party’s intention to make it a rallying point in the party’s efforts to revive itself electorally after the debacle in the last Lok Sabha election.

“How Modi won the election? He took loans of thousands of crores from big industrialists from which his campaigning was done. How will he meet the obligation? He will do it by giving (them) your land. He wants to weaken the land bill,” Gandhi said at a well attended Kisan-Khet Mazdooor rally at the Ramlila Maidan.

Rahul Gandhi took exception to the reported remarks of Modi that he wants to remove “kachra (dirt)” of the past 50 years. “He (Modi) does not understand the power of people. They have given their sweat and blood over the past 60 years. Such words do not behove Modi or the post of prime minister,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted strongly to Rahul Gandhi’s jibes at Modi and the apparent Congress attempts to showcase the rally as a a show of strength by the Congress leader.

“How many times will the Congress launch Rahul Gandhi,” BJP leader and union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked. He accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting the popular mandate of the last Lok Sabha election and sought an apology from him.

Meanwhile, Headlines Today’s Rahul Kanwal reported that the farmers did not pay any attention to Rahul Gandhi’s speech and started making the exit when he began to speak. “As RG was speaking I noticed a stream of people heading towards the exit gate. They said they had come to hear Hooda!” he tweeted.

“Chairs cleared out by the time Sonia spoke. Exiting farmer: Had come to cheer Hooda & hoot Tanwar. Our work is done”, he tweeted again.

Noted journalist Sagarika Ghose had her piece of mind for the Congress: “What @INCIndia needs to worry about is that its a party of poor by day and a party of the rich by night.Unless gap bridged,voters wont bite,” she tweeted. (With inputs from IANS)