Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on November 13 claimed Madhya Pradesh was the country's "corruption capital" and accused the state BJP government of indulging in rampant "corruption".
Addressing a public meeting in MP's Neemuch district, he also promised a caste census if the Congress comes to power at the Centre and in States and expressed confidence that his party will sweep the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Gandhi promised his party government will provide LPG cylinder at ₹500, waive farmers' loans up to ₹2 lakh, will pay a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,600 for wheat which will go up to ₹3,000 and free electricity up to 100 units.
Polls to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly are scheduled on November 17. Elections in Rajasthan, Telangana and the second phase of polls in Chhattisgarh are also scheduled later this month. Elections in the north eastern state of Mizoram were held last week.
Mr. Gandhi told the gathering, "The Congress had formed government in MP (after the 2018 polls) and the moment it started working for farmers by waiving loans of 27 lakh cultivators, the BJP, in collusion with big industrialists, stole your government of farmers, labourers and small shop owners and came back to power." "This Madhya Pradesh is the capital of corruption in the country,” he claimed.
Mr. Gandhi also referred to a viral video purportedly showing the son of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and a "middleman" talking about several crore rupees.
The Congress leader alleged that "in the video Tomar ji's son was seen sitting and stealing your money."
"Here BJP MLAs and ministers are also not less. They are competing with Tomar in stealing money from farmers and labourers," he charged referring to lawmakers from MP.
Mr. Gandhi claimed that 18,000 farmers in the state have committed suicide because of debt and when the Congress government started waiving farm loans, it (Congress government) was "stolen" by the BJP.
Demonetisation was carried out to benefit industrialists like Adani, but it hit hard small shop owners and the common people, he further claimed.
Mr. Gandhi said employment is provided by small traders and businesses and not by big industries. They (BJP government) said it (demonetisation) will curb the menace of black money, but nothing happened, he added.
The Congress leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of speaking a "lie openly" that the BJP government has established 500 factories in Madhya Pradesh.
Mr. Gandhi asked the people whether they have seen a single such unit in Neemuch.
"All these things will not prevail anymore as there is a wave and the Congress will sweep the assembly polls in the state,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi also said the day he started talking about the OBC community and wanted to know their exact number in the country, the prime minister, who called himself as an OBC (community member), stopped speaking about it.
“Now, Modi ji says there is no caste in Hindustan and poverty is the only caste that exists in the country,” he said.
Out of "90 officers at the Centre," only three are from the OBC category and out of "53 officers" in Madhya Pradesh only one is from the OBC community, Gandhi said to highlight the community's plight in relationto the national and the state's budget.
If the Congress comes to power at the Centre and in states, the first thing it will do is to conduct a caste census to know the exact number of OBCs and do justice to them, the former party president said.
Mr. Gandhi highlighted steps taken by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh for the people's welfare and said they will also be implemented in MP, including pertaining to the MSP for paddy and wheat.
