Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said prime minister Narendra Modi was consuming imported pulses while the poor couldn’t due to its high price.
While speaking over rising prices of pulses in the country, Rahul said, “The soaring prices of pulses have forced people not to consume their favourite ‘dal’ but Modi is eating imported pulses (videshi dal). How can poor people purchase pulses selling for Rs.200 per kg? It is beyond their reach.”
Rahul was addressing the first of the two election rallies at Areraj in East Champaran district of Bihar, where assembly elections are being held in five phases.
Rahul sought to remind people that the prime minister had promised an immediate drop in the prices of essential commodities.
“When dal was selling at Rs.70 per kg, he attacked us saying it was very expensive, but now it is Rs.200 per kg and he is conveniently keeping quiet. When he raised the slogan of ‘na khaaonga, na khaane doonga’, I had no idea he was talking about dal,” the Congress leader said.
Taking another jibe at the prime minister, Rahul said the BJP’s “much-hyped Make in India’s ‘babbar sher’ (lion)” has failed to provide jobs to anyone in the country. When he asked the youth among his audience if they had got jobs, they responded with a loud ‘no’.
Similarly, the Congress leader said, Modi had promised to bring back black money from abroad, but did not fulfill his promise. Did anyone of you get any money in your bank accounts as assured by him (Modi)?” Gandhi asked his audience.
Taking a swipe at Modi, Rahul said, “I know this is RSS training but I request you to stop telling lies and start working.”
Rahul also questioned Modi’s foreign trips, saying how could he tackle national issues and problems when he was flying to other countries most of the time.
“The prime minister wears bright suits and travels across the world, but has no time to meet poor farmers and Dalits in the country,” he said.
The Congress vice-president accused the BJP of making Indians fight each other. “I went to Dadri; they make Hindus and Muslims fight. They did it in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir.”
Rahul said he visited a Haryana village after two Dalit children were burnt alive even as the BJP chief minister was yet to visit the bereaved family.
“Then their (union) minister makes a statement about dogs. The BJP will not be seen after this election. There will be no ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ (government of the suited-booted). There will not be a government that equates Dalits with dogs,” he said.