Stepping up attack on Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said that she has never seen “a more coward and weak” Prime Minister than him.
“ Insey bada kayar, insey kamjor Pradhan Mantri main jeevan me nahi dekha , (I haven’t seen a more coward and weaker PM than him in my life)”, she said at an election meeting in Pratapgarh, a day after Mr. Modi fired yet another salvo targeting her father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi accusing him of using warship INS Viraat as a “personal taxi” for a family holiday.
The Congress leader claimed that Mr. Modi has failed to answer people’s questions on “unfulfilled” promises about providing two crore jobs and doubling the income of farmers.
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“The power of politics does not come from big campaigns and TV shows. People are the biggest in democracy. One should have power to listen and redress people’s problems. He should have the power to listen to the opposition. Leave aside listening to you, this PM does know how to reply to you,” she said.
“You have been cheated. He (PM) had promised to check corruption but now who has been exposed as corrupt...He hides the reality with his campaigns. If Modiji comes to you, then you should tell him that in Amethi without power connection a lady showed ₹35,000 electricity bill, another person showed a bill for ₹50,000.
She claimed that loans of big industrialists were waived, “but when Rahul asked for loan waiver for farmers, he was told there is no money”.
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She also said that farmers’ insurance money was never paid to them and they are battling with stray cattle menace.
“If PM is so powerful, he should tell why he couldn’t solve your problems. In every speech he mentions Pakistan but he should also tell you what his government has done and will do in the next five years. We are here due to you people and you have made us leader. People are bigger not us,” she said.
She alleged that when thousand of farmers gathered in Delhi from all over the country and sought “a five-minute appointment from the PM, he did not give them time”.
“For his constituency Varanasi in past five years, he could not spare even five minutes for visiting people in villages and asking them how they are and what are their problems,” the Congress general secretary said.
Polling will be held in 14 seats, including Pratapgarh, in Uttar Pradesh in the sixth phase on May 12.
The war-of words between the BJP and the Congress has turned shriller with Mr. Modi raising the issue of alleged corruption during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister, saying his life ended as “bhrashtachari no 1”.
At a rally in Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Modi said, “INS Viraat was insulted by using it as a personal taxi. This happened when Rajiv Gandhi and his family was out for a 10-day vacation”.
The Congress has hit back, alleging that Mr. Modi is spreading lies about its late leader who was prime minister over 30 years ago as he can see his “imminent defeat”.