Sirsa/New Delhi : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Sunday launched a multi-pronged attack on the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, accusing the party of practising “divisive politics” and said the party was only blowing balloons into the air that will soon burst.
Addressing election rallies at Haryana’s Sirsa and Delhi, Gandhi also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over delay in releasing its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls.
He attacked Modi over “snoopgate” controversy and wondered how a leader whose government is battling allegations of illegal snooping on a woman architect would provide rights to women.
Gandhi’s rally in Delhi was at the same venue where he had drawn thin crowds before the assembly polls December last. The party had finished third in the polls winning only eight of 70 seats. Sunday’s rally saw a much larger turnout with party workers seeing it as a sign of party’s revival in Delhi.
He also targeted Aam Aadmi Party in his rally in Delhi.
Hitting at Modi on the issue of women security, Gandhi said he had seen BJP posters talking of empowering women, but alleged that women had faced police action in Gujarat and they had faced violence during the rule of BJP in Karnataka.
Gandhi also targeted Modi over delay in release of BJP manifesto.
“We held consultations with people from all sections for six months to finalise our manifesto. Where is the BJP manifesto? They feel there is no need to ask people. They do not need a manifesto because, according to them, one person (Modi) can think good and bad,” he said.
Again referring to Modi, he said BJP talks of giving the country one watchman but the Congress wants to include all citizens in the process of governance.
Gandhi also talked about the Congress promise to provide right to health and housing to the poor and also talked about the plans to create jobs.
He said the Congress extended support to the AAP in forming the government in Delhi as it felt the AAP had got the support of people. “But they fled the government,” he said.
In his rally at Sirsa, Gandhi targeted Modi over his much flaunted Gujarat model of development.
He said other states did not need the Gujarat model being promoted by the BJP.
“Haryana is ahead of Gujarat in many aspects. Haryana does not need a Gujarat model. The Haryana model is the best,” he said.
The Congress has fielded sitting parliamentarian Ashok Tanwar from Sirsa.
Tanwar, a former chief of the Indian Youth Congress, has worked closely with Gandhi.
“The BJP started with its ‘India Shining’ balloon in the 2004 election and it burst. Their balloon in the 2009 election also burst. Now they have filled air into the Gujarat model balloon. Even this will burst,” Gandhi said.
Claiming that the BJP’s stand on corruption was hollow, Gandhi said the party can only talk about corruption whereas all its actions were promoting corruption in states where the party was in power.
“Wherever we see corruption, we take action. The BJP does nothing against corruption,” he said.
“BJP beats drums against corruption but shares stage with (former Karnataka chief minister B.S.) Yeddyurappa. Mining mafia is ruling the Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh but BJP does not see it. There are convicted cabinet ministers in Gujarat but they don’t see corruption in Gujarat too,” Gandhi said.
He also accused the BJP of practising divisive politics but did not name it.
The Congress leader said: “These people, wherever they go, instigate people to fight among themselves.”
Congress had performed well in last Lok Sabha elections in both Delhi and neighbouring Haryana. It had won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and nine out of 10 seats in Haryana.