Rahul's 'chakravyuh' attack on Modi: PM snatching money from poor, giving it to billionaires

Chandigarh, Sep 30 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a Mahabharat-like 'chakravyuh' to snatch money from the poor and give it to a few billionaires.

Gandhi campaigned in Haryana on Monday along with his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja ahead of the October 5 Assembly polls.

As part of his 'Haryana Vijay Sankalp Yatra', Gandhi campaigned in Naraingarh, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts earlier in the day. At a rally in the evening at Thanesar in Kurukshetra, also known as the land of the Mahabharat, Gandhi used the 'chakravyuh' analogy to hit out at the BJP.

"Their (BJP) aim is to take out money from the common people's pockets and give it to a few billionaires. Like the 'chakravyuh' in Mahabharat, a similar 'chakravyuh' has been created and six people are behind it -- Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Adani, Ambani, Doval and Mohan Bhagwat," Gandhi alleged.

"The aim is that money of the poor people of this country should go into the hands of 20-25 billionaires," he added.

Gandhi said a few weeks back, he gave a speech in Parliament about Mahabharat and Kurukshetra. "In Mahabharat, there were thousands of soldiers, but there were six people responsible for the 'chakravyuh'." He said the 'chakravyuh' is also called a 'padmavyuha' which is a multi-tiered formation that looks like a lotus, which is the BJP symbol.

"The Congress' (poll) symbol is the 'Abhay Mudra'," said Gandhi as he pointed towards his white t-shirt on which his party's symbol was embossed.

"You will see this in every religion, in front of us is a Gurdwara, if you look at Guru Nanak ji's photo, you can see Abhay Mudra, in Lord Shiva, Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavir's photos, you will see Abhay Mudra, which means 'Daro mat'.

"And as I had said this (referring to his speech in parliament), BJP people felt that I had said the truth, so all of them got up and even Modi ji got up three to four times, but this is the truth," he said.

Gandhi said, "We don't want an India where a few billionaires live happily and the farmers and labourers remain hungry. We will not let this situation continue and to change this, we have to break this Amit Shah-Modi 'chakravyuh'".

Apparently referring to his parliament speech, Gandhi said, "I told Modi that India's youth is not Abhimanyu, he is Arjun and he will break your 'chakravyuh' in two minutes".

Gandhi further alleged that farming and small and medium businesses have been privatised and handed over to big industrialists.

"In the last polls, you must have seen we talked about caste census, increasing reservation beyond 50 per cent, waiving farmers' loans. while Modi talks about dividing the country, he will talk about Hindu-Muslim, he will call farmers terrorists and he says in his speech he is non-biological and he has a direct connection with God.

"He says God gives him orders and he implements them. He has been sent by God and whatever God says, he does that," Gandhi said.

Gandhi said a few years ago he went to a temple in Assam and the priest over there told him that God is omnipresent.

"Then I thought Narendra Modi's God is strange as he makes him help billionaires 24 hours. Modi's 'bhagwan' (God) is Adani, what Adani tells him, he does that. Adani says he wants Mumbai airport, Modi makes one phone call and gives it to him. Adani says he wants the apple business in Himachal, and the walnut business in Kashmir... Whatever land he requires, Modi hands it over to him," he said.

"We brought land acquisition bill, the first thing which Narendra Modi did was to end it...they brought black farm laws, which was to take money out from your pockets," he said.

Gandhi said, on the other hand, the Congress party works for the poor and common people.

Our aim is that if the debt of billionaires is waived then that of farmers, labourers, and the poor should also be waived.

"The way money is going into the bank accounts of Ambani and Adani... khatakhat, khatakhat, khatakhat, in same manner money should also come into your bank accounts," he told the gathering.

Haryana goes to polls on October 5 while results will be declared on October 8. PTI