Adani is funding Modi’s campaign, says Rahul

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat during an election rally at Kashipur on Tuesday.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi continued to attack the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, as he addressed three rallies in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

At Kashipur in the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar constituency, Mr. Gandhi said, “The BJP election poster reads that they would give more power to women. We don’t need to give power to women, we need to give them respect.” He addressed two more rallies in Almora and Pauri constituencies.

Talking about Mr. Modi’s election campaign, Mr. Gandhi said it was being funded by the Adani Group of industries.

“Adani is funding Modi’s campaign. The BJP wants that power should lie only with a few industrialists,” he said. Criticising the ‘Gujarat model of development,’ Mr. Gandhi said, “Every second child in Gujarat is deprived of food. Forty per cent of the population does not have drinking water.”

Talking about the crackdown on terror activities in the United Progressive Alliance regime, Mr. Gandhi said, “In the five years that the BJP ruled the country, 22,000 people died due to terrorism. In the last five years of the United Progressive Alliance government, 800 people died in the country [in terror attacks]. This is because the BJP bowed down to terrorists and practised the politics of anger.”

He said if the Congress came to power, there would be 25 per cent reservation for women in the police department. Also, 2,000 new police stations would be set up to enhance security for women. “We will also give them 33 per cent reservation in the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha,” he promised.