Addressing an election rally in the prestigious seat of Satna on Friday, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi warned voters that voting for the BJP would turn India into an oligarchy. He said, “India Shining, Gujarat Model, 272 - these are the same things. This is government of a few; Take two, three industrialists and run their government. Give the common man speeches, but don't give them government. We talk less, govern more.”
Mr. Gandhi added that the strength and knowledge pool of the country lie with the people and not with its leaders. “Their (BJP) ideology is one man rule. He (Gujarat CM Narendra Modi) says, “Make me the watchman of India and I will end theft. We want to make crores of people watchmen. We want benefits for them.” Former minister Ajay Singh, the son of former CM and Satna MP Arjun Singh, was given the Congress ticket from the Satna seat and not his home seat of Sidhi which he wanted. He faces sitting MP Ganesh Singh of the BJP which has held the seat since 1998. Mr. Singh’s funds were exhausted in Sidhi before the announcement of the tickets and capturing Satna is an uphill task for him despite his charisma in the Baghelkhand region.
He added that, if elected, the third term of the United Progressive Alliance would have a rights-based approach to legislation and governance. “In UPA-3, I will tell you what we will do. We will bring the right to health. Hospital doors will be open for the poor and they will not spend all their income of medicines. We will also give you the right of a roof over your head.” He claimed that 15 crore people had risen above the poverty line in the last decade due to laws such as the National Food Security Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. “Nothing has harmed the corrupt more than the RTI, which we brought. The corrupt can't hide in India anymore... In Gujarat RTI is not functioning. We passed the Lokpal Bill in parliament but in Gujarat the Lokayukta was created only after the High Court forced the government to do so,” he said in a jibe at Mr. Modi.
He added, “The opposition talks about corruption but (Karnataka BJP leader) Mr. Yeddyurappa is on their right hand. He was a CM who went to jail. This state's CM will not talk about corruption in MP. There is looting in progress in Chhattisgarh and MP.”
