The Lok Sabha poll fever reached the capital on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing rallies in the city in the Northeast Delhi and Chandini Chowk Lok Sabha constituencies. In both the gatherings, “corruption” took centre stage.
While Mr. Modi said leaders of the INDIA bloc parties have looted the people of Delhi and those politicians who came to fight corruption are now embroiled in scams and find themselves in jail, Mr. Gandhi said the common man has not benefited from Mr. Modi and only a handful of rich industrialists have. He brought up the electoral bonds and said they were “misused” as those being investigated by the central agencies have been donating to the BJP to get off the hook.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, out on interim bail to campaign after spending time in Tihar Jail, chose a different style of campaigning and addressed five “nukkad sabhas” in the West Delhi constituency asking people to vote for the INDIA bloc to ensure he stays out of jail.
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‘Dosti and kusti’
Hitting out at the AAP and Congress’ 4-3 seat sharing pact in the capital, Mr. Modi said, “Congress first took credit for exposing the liquor scam but has joined hands with them.” He said the “Congress does dosti (friendship) in Delhi and Haryana, but khusti (wrestling) in Punjab.” The AAP and the Congress do not have a seat sharing alliance in Punjab.
The attack continued with Mr. Modi slamming the alliance and saying the Congress ruled Delhi for so long but now it can’t even fight four seats on its own. He said the Congress’ manifesto is akin to the Muslim League’s manifesto and the party wants to “steal your wealth and give to their own vote bank”.
The Prime Minister blamed the Opposition for the 2020 Delhi riots following the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and said many people, mostly Dalits, who were persecuted in neighbouring countries, were recently granted citizenship under the law. The Opposition alliance supports reservation on religious ground, restoration of Article 370 and abolition of India’s nuclear bombs, he said.
‘Won’t debate’
Slamming the Prime Minister, Mr. Gandhi said, “PM Modi is giving non-stop interviews to his favourite journalists, but he will not have a debate with me because he knows he cannot answer my questions.”
“PM Modi talks about the Congress getting tempo-loads of money from Adani-Ambani, but he doesn’t dare to get it probed,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi said he is “ready to debate with PM Modi whenever and wherever he wants.” “But I’m sure he won’t come. The first question I would ask PM Modi is what is his relationship with Adani? Next I want to ask him about electoral bonds,” the former Congress chief said.
Mr. Gandhi said the debate would end after these two questions, but he also wants to ask the Prime Minister why he asked the public to bang plates and flash mobile phones when people were suffering from COVID. “He won’t join a debate with me, but he speaks in his rallies only about issues I raise. When I said why he does not talk about Adani-Ambani, he talked about it immediately,” he said.
Talking about the synergy of the AAP-Congress alliance, Mr. Gandhi said this time, he will press the AAP button while Mr. Kejriwal will press the Congress button. “Everyone’s goal is to save the Constitution. I appeal to AAP and Congress workers to do the same in their respective constituencies,” Mr. Gandhi said.
Talking about the Congress and INDIA bloc’s plans if they form the government, Mr. Gandhi said, “We will throw the Agniveer scheme in the dustbin, simplify GST and help small businessmen rather than big industrialists.”
Saying that the aim of the INDIA bloc was to promote brotherhood and not hate, he highlighted some of the schemes being promised to address poverty and unemployment that include giving ₹1 lakh every year to women belonging to poor families and ₹1 lakh to those graduates, postgraduates and diploma holders who are unemployed.
(With inputs from PTI)
