Congress president Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ruled out of fear, and that fear had turned into anger now.
During the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government, Mr. Gandhi said, “The Prime Minister and the BJP president are a different type of politicians. They are not like us [Congress]. We are okay with winning and losing, staying in and out of power. But they cannot afford to lose power. They fear losing power. It is this fear that is turning as anger.”
Mr. Gandhi then went to hug Mr. Modi on the floor of House, after saying that he has no anger towards the Prime Minister. “I thank the Prime Minister for showing me the importance of Congress, the true meaning of Lord Shiva. I know I am a pappu for you, but I don’t have any anger against you,” said the Amethi MP.
‘ Jumla strikes’
Mr. Gandhi said that the government was known for “ jumla strikes.” Referring to TDP member Jayadev Galla, who began the debate, he said, “I heard Mr. Galla’s speech very carefully. In your speech, I sensed a certain anxiety and a deep feeling of pain. I want to tell you that you are the victim of a 21st century political weapon. The political weapon is called the jumla strike.”
He described it as a great sense of excitement, happiness, followed by a feeling of shock and eight-hour long speeches. Mr. Gandhi then went on to list what he considered as such strikes — ₹15 lakh in each citizen’s bank account, jobs for two crore youths.
“China has given 50,000 youths jobs in 24 hours, while this government has given only 400 youths jobs in 24 hours,” he said.
He added that GST was brought in by the Congress. “You opposed it as Gujarat Chief Minister,” he said. “The PM’s GST has five different GSTs, and you sent the Income Tax department to small businesses.”
He said that the Prime Minister spoke only to “suit-boot” corporates and not small businessmen. “The Prime Minister’s face comes on the Jio ad. It means he only cares about the rich.”
Rafale aircraft deal
When Mr. Gandhi began alleging that corporates had a vested interest in the government, Treasury Bench members rose to protest and the House was adjourned for 10 minutes.
Mr. Gandhi shifted his attention to the Rafale fighter aircraft deal. He said Mr. Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied to the country. “Why was the contract taken away from HAL and the youngsters of Karnataka, and given to a businessman who has a debt of ₹30,000 crore” he asked.
Ms. Sitharaman responded to Mr. Gandhi’s statement by saying that the agreement of secrecy was signed by the then Defence Minister and this agreement clearly mentioned that the value of the jets cannot be disclosed.
Quoting a media report, Ms. Sitharaman said the French President had said if the confidentiality clause was violated, the government would take it seriously.
