Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, on Tuesday stepped up his attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming him an instrument of a few rich Indian businessmen.
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During one of the roadshows taken out in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, parts of which fall in his constituency, Mr. Gandhi also came down on the now-scrapped electoral bond scheme, calling it a form of extortion by Mr. Modi. Mr. Gandhi claimed that through the scheme, the BJP had got thousands of crores of rupees by extorting them from India’s businessmen. Turning to his translator, he then asked what was the Malayalam word for extortion. “In Malayalam, you say ‘kollayadikkal’. Modi calls it electoral bonds. What the common thief is doing on the street, the Prime Minister is doing at the international level,” he alleged.
Mr. Gandhi alleged that Mr. Modi had given around ₹16 lakh crore to 20-25 businessmen in the country. He claimed that Mr. Modi’s job was to distract people from the real issues, protect richest businessmen and forgive their bank loans. “He does not talk of the issues farmers are facing, the unemployment or the price rise,” the Congress leader pointed out.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gandhi accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of trying to change the Constitution and to destroy it. He claimed that this was the only big issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress leader, who is seeking a re-election from the Wayanad seat, started his roadshow from Kodiyathoor in Kozhikode district, which is part of the Thiruvambadi Assembly segment. He later held roadshows in the Assembly segments in Malappuram district.