Sonipat (Haryana): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of attacking the Constitution and also slammed it over various issues including unemployment, the Agniveer scheme and farmers' welfare.
Addressing a public meeting in Sonipat while campaigning for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls, he also alleged that the government was working for a handful of billionaires in the country.
"While en route to this place, a man stopped me. He told me he runs a small business. He said Modi and the Haryana government destroyed him," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said as he blamed demonetisation and "wrong" GST.
"He (the man) told me they did this to help Adani and Ambani," claimed Gandhi who took out his 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra' on the second day in Haryana.
"Everyone knows that the central and Haryana governments are being run to help two-three 'arabpatis'. Whatever avenues of employment you had, they have been shut," he alleged.
Addressing another rally in Gohana, Gandhi showed a box of famous jalebi maker Mathu Ram halwai and emphasised that his jalebi should be sold across the country and be exported which will generate more employment opportunities.
"If his (Mathu Ram) jalebi is sold in other states and is also exported, then 20,000-50,000 more people can work in his factory one day," he said.
"But PM Modi has trapped him in a 'chakravyuh' like Abhimanyu was trapped in Mahabharat," he said, adding that Mathu Ram was trapped in demonetization and then "wrong" GST. He will also not be given loan by banks, Gandhi claimed.
Gandhi's reference was to the Mahabharat legend according to which Abhimanyu was killed in a 'chakravyuh' -? a multi-tiered maze and formation -? in which he was trapped.
Slamming the central and the Haryana governments over unemployment, he said the state has been turned into a "centre of unemployment."
Attacking the BJP-led government over the issue of the Agnipath scheme in Sonipat, he alleged the military recruitment programme was a way to "steal" a soldier's pension, canteen facilities and martyr status he gets (when he lays down life for his motherland).
Earlier, there used to be public sector, government factories, these have been privatised. Wherever, you see, you will only see Adani and Ambani names, he further alleged.
Gandhi claimed the motive behind "stealing" jawans' pension was to hand over the defence budget to Adani. He alleged that a company owned by Adani was putting its labels on weapons which were manufactured by foreign companies.
"Modi only wanted to give a defence contract to Adani," he charged. He raised the drug menace issue in Haryana and said everyone knows drugs are spreading tentacles.
"I want to ask Modi ji when thousands of kilos of heroin was seized from your friend Adani's Mundra port, what action did you take? How many did you send to jails for this," he asked.
Gandhi again raised the issue of several Haryana youths going to the US through an illegal route after spending huge sum of money in search of better future saying they were unable to get employment opportunities."This is what the Haryana government and Modi have given. Earlier the employment which people used to get has been shut," he said.
Holding a copy of the Constitution, Gandhi said whatever poor people of the country, the Dalits, farmers, backward classes, it is because of this.
"For 24-hours, BJP attacks this (Constitution)," he alleged. "When RSS put their own people in the country's institutions and do not give any place to the Dalits, backwards, tribals, poor, they are attacking the Constitution. When Narendra Modi helps people like Adani and Ambani and destroys the employment system of the country, they are attacking the Constitution," he alleged.
"Fight is this. If you have to understand the difference between BJP and Congress. In simple terms, I will make you understand," said Gandhi, and showing the copy of the Constitution to the gathering, added, "Woh isko khatam karte hai, hum iski raksha karte hai (they finish it, we protect it)".
In the Constitution, it is written all citizens are equal, everyone should have one vote, he said. "It means if you frame economic policies, frame for people of the country. When Modi waives Rs 16 lakh crore of 25 'arabpatis' and does not waive loans of farmers, students, mothers and sisters, then he is attacking this Constitution," he said.
"When Modi brings three black farm laws to help Adani, brings them to destroy lives of farmers, then he is attacking the Constitution," he alleged.
Gandhi asked the gathering if they had ever seen the faces of farmers being shown in the media. "No. Are there only Modi and 'arabpati' in this country? Have you seen the marriage function of any poor person being shown in the media? Did you see the Ambani wedding? You know Ambani spent thousands of crore in the wedding. Whose money is this? It is your money," he said.
"Did you see Modiji at Ambani wedding? Did you see Rahul Gandhi in the wedding? Thing should clear who is standing with whom. Had Modi decided not to attend the wedding, Ambaniji would have called him up, and Modi then would have to go. One call of Ambani and Adani, Modi will go. They market him," said Gandhi the rally in Gohana. A day will come when the government of India will be of the poor, labourers and farmers, he said at the first rally.
Speaking about Haryana government's 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' (family ID) scheme, Gandhi said it is a 'parivar pareshan patra' scheme and launched to give contract worth Rs 1,000-2,000 crore to a company. He promised to shut this scheme when his party is voted to power.
Calling his party workers "tigers", Gandhi said sometimes they fight with each other and then his job was to bring them together. It is a party of tigers and they are not scared of anyone, he said.
