Pointing to 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' [I am also watchman] campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi unleashed a bitter attack against by repeatedly stating that Mr. Modi had launched the campaign after his “theft” was caught. He also alleged that the Prime Minister acted as watchman of the big businessmen and not of the poor countrymen.
He was addressing an election rally in Kalaburagi on Monday, his first public meeting after the Lok Sabha elections was declared.
“He [Mr. Modi] was the watchman for Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya. The Chowkidar handed over India’s six airports to Adani on the very same day the Pulwama attack had happened. Rafale deal was the biggest defence deal in the world. The UPA government had clearly said that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [HAL] would get the contract. It had negotiated and fixed ₹526 crores for a fighter jet. When Chowkidar became the Prime Minister, the first task he did was visiting France along with Anil Ambani and changing the entire contract to benefit Mr. Ambani. The aircraft worth ₹526 crore was bought for ₹1600 and the contract was given to Mr. Ambani... who had never manufactured a flight. Chowkidar has snatched your jobs and gave your ₹30,000 crores to Ambani,” he said.
Directly referring to the series of investigative reports published in The Hindu on Rafale deal, the Congress president said the reports clearly exposed that the Prime Minister had conducted parallel negotiations with France on Rafale deal.
“The negotiation team says that Chowkidar is not allowing it to function independently and he is directly negotiating with France. Chowkidar was caught while stealing and just as he was caught the chowkidar started saying that the whole India is Chowkidar. Before he was not caught, only Narendra Modi was Chowkidar and when he was caught, he wanted to make entire India Chowkidar,” he said.
Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme
As a counterweight to NDA government’s recently announced PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana under which every small and marginal farm family is entitled to ₹6000 a year, Congress president Rahul Gandhi promised a Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme. Mr. Gandhi said that the scheme was the first of its kind in the entire world.
“A Minimum Income Line would be set and all those who fall below it would be lifted above it giving money. The money would directly be transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. No country in the world has taken such a decision and Congress is going to implement the scheme for the poor in India,” he said.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress Leader in Lok Sabha M Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and KPCC Working President Eshwar Khandre, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwar, Home Minister M.B. Patil and others were present.
