AICC president Rahul Gandhi, who began his tour of coastal Karnataka and Malnad, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking credit for all development as a “one -man show”, by ignoring not only the common man but also his own party leaders.
Addressing a gathering at Surathkal, he alleged that Mr. Modi was not giving recognition for the contributions of party leaders like L.K. Advani, Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari.
Mr. Gandhi said the Prime Minister has been stating in his speeches that the Congress has not contributed anything for the development of the country during the last 70 years. Not recognising the contributions of the party was an insult not only to the Congress but to people of the country.
Speaking at Padubidri in Udupi, he said the economic policies of the Modi government favoured the rich and overlooked the interests of farmers, poor people, traders, and small businesses. Mr. Gandhi said the Modi government had no qualms in waiving loans taken by 10% or 15% of the rich. But whenever it was asked to waive loans of farmers, both Mr. Modi and Mr. Jaitley refused, he said.
In Udupi district, Mr. Gandhi interacted with about fisherfolk during his visit to Tenka Yermal village. He enquired about fishing, their problems, about their income, and whether they were sending their children to schools. The fishermen and fisherwomen sought relaxation in CRZ norms. They also sought inclusion of the community under Scheduled Tribes. Mr. Gandhi had a meal with a group of fishermen.
Earlier, arriving by a chopper at the temporary helipad at Government Model High School in Tenka Yermal, he broke the security cordon and entered the school and shook hands with students.
