Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday once again made a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly favouring the Adani Group.
Addressing a public meeting here on Tuesday, Mr. Gandhi said though he had repeated the question in Parliament about the relationship between Mr. Gautam Adani and Mr. Modi, he was yet to receive an answer.
Mr. Gandhi said he had repeated the question by producing newspaper articles that showed how Mr. Adani moved up to the second position on the list of the wealthiest people in the world from the 609th position in a short span of time. Mr. Gandhi alleged that Mr. Modi himself had facilitated the Adani Group to reach the position. “The foreign policy of the country, airport norms and even the defence relationship between the countries are misused for the purpose,” he said.
There was a rule in Parliament that if anybody said anything about a Parliament member, he/she had the right to reply. However, he was denied such a chance. Though he had written two letters, there was no reply. Finally, he approached the Speaker to allow him the chance to clarify his stance. But the Speaker responded that he had no choice, said Mr. Gandhi.
Coming down heavily on the NDA government, Mr. Gandhi said the “uncomfortable questions” raised by him made him become uncomfortable for some Ministers and this led to his disqualification as an MP. However, the disqualification was “the biggest gift” to him as it has helped him realise that his deeds are correct, he said.
“When the BJP takes away my official residence, disqualifies me from Parliament and attacks me 24 hours a day, I know that what I am doing is right,” he said. “The more they attack me, the more I know this is exactly the path I have to walk,” said Mr. Gandhi, adding that he will continue to raise questions for voters in his constituency and the rest of the people in the country.
Addressing the public meeting, Mr. Gandhi’s sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Mr. Gandhi is “an honest man” who is unafraid to speak the truth and that no one can make him silent as he is a brave man.
“The BJP leaders and the entire government are trying to turn our democracy upside down for a single man, Gautam Adani,” she alleged.
“Our country is at a crossroads. What happened to my brother is just a symptom, which is a symptom of how far we are down the path of a dictatorship today,” she said, adding that the government believes that it can silence any dissent. “It believes it can hand over airports and even some of the defence establishments in the country to their businessmen friends,” she said.
“To ask questions, to demand accountability and raise issues are the job of a parliamentarian,” said Ms. Vadra, adding that it is a Constitutional right of a citizen. “But the whole government is mercilessly attacking one man for asking questions for the rest of the public,” he said.
