Opp will unite to defeat BJP, says Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai: In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed in Mumbai that the PM would run away from India, a la fugitives Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya. Mr Gandhi made the remark while interacting with party workers during his rally. Mr Gandhi also slammed BJP chief Amit Shah over his son Jay Shah’s property.

During his speech, Mr Gandhi said, “Nirav Modi ran away with Rs 34,000 crore; Vijay Mallya ran away with Rs 8,000 crore; and Lalit Modi also.” At this juncture, someone from the gathering loudly mentioned the PM. Reacting to the nudge, Mr Gandhi said, “Woh bhi bhaag jayega (he too will run away)”.

“The BJP saved itself somehow in Gujarat. They lost in Karnataka. In the coming elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, they will not remain to be seen. And, in 2019, the Congress party and all opposition parties will unite to defeat them,” Mr Gandhi said.

Slamming the Narendra Modi-led government over a number of issues, Mr Gandhi said, “They made claims of two crore jobs but failed to meet them. The farmers are crying. The Modi government has threatened everyone and now, the country is under fear. Our competition is with China. They create 50,000 jobs every 24 hours and the Modi government is giving only 450. The government’s own report said that this year’s employment generation is the lowest in the last eight years. But the PM does not want to give jobs. He wants to fuel enmity among the youth. He wants us to believe that we will survive. He is not bothered about the genuine issues of the people of the India.”

Continuing his tirade, Mr Gandhi said, “You just hear the PM’s speech. You will understand that his voice is shaking. He is scared. You can also witness this in BJP president Amit Shah’s speech. His voice too is shaking. Because they know that they can’t keep fooling the people of India and the people here know the truth.”