Kozhikode (Kerala) : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop making speeches and start action.
In a hard-hitting speech, Gandhi, who arrived here on a two-day visit, time and again referred to the Modi government as a “suit boot government”.
“While I take this opportunity to wish the Modi government a happy first birthday, my advice to them is if this is the way they carry forward, then the farmers, labourers and the ordinary people will not allow them to celebrate five birthdays,” he said in his address to a massive Youth Congress rally.
Gandhi also lashed out at the failures of the government, especially on the land acquisition bill, rising prices and on job creation.
“The suit boot government is interested in protecting the interests of a few friends of Modi who gave him money for the elections. He wants to take land of the poor farmers and give it to his few friends,” he said.
“He (Modi) is now interested in taking away the sea from the fishermen community and is now insisting that fishermen should have passports when they go for fishing.”
Gandhi said Modi claims his one year has been corruption-free.
“It was the (Congress-led) UPA government that came out with the Right to Information (RTI) Act and today just look, all the institutions that can reveal about corruption are headless.
“This government is only interested in headlines, it’s ‘no action, maximum oratory’,” said Gandhi.
The Congress leader also said that statistics point out that job creation has slowed down by 30 percent.
“He says the land bill and creation of jobs are linked, and says only if the bill is passed can jobs be created, because land is required.
“This is not true because lots of land is held with the central and state governments and it has been revealed that just eight percent projects are held up because of shortage of land,” he said.
Gandhi also condemned Modi’s statement that prices have decreased.
“He (Modi) says prices have come down, but I am yet to hear this from anyone I have met. Prices of fuel and consumer items have all gone up.
“He has travelled extensively abroad but till now he has not held the hands of a poor person in our country. Farmers are in bad shape because of unseasonal rains and hailstorms.”
Gandhi said while the UPA government had written off Rs.70,000 crore debt of farmers affected by rains, Modi has done nothing.
Top Congress leaders, including former union ministers A.K. Antony and Vayalar Ravi and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, were present at the rally.
On Wednesday, the Congress leader will address fisherfolk at the Chavakadu beach near Thrissur. He will later speak to representatives of farmers near Kochi.