Modi is still PM thanks to media and two businessmen: Rahul Gandhi

Speaking at the Mehngai Par Halla Bol rally, in New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, on Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that since the BJP came to power, anger and hatred have increased multifold. Narendra Modi is still the nation’s Prime Minister thanks to the media and two businessmen, he said. 

Slogans of ‘Rahul Gandhi Zindabad’ and ‘Sonia Gandhi Zindabad’ reverberated through the air on Sunday as thousands of Congress supporters reached the rally ground to raise their voice against price rise and unemployment.

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Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told ANI that the rally has no electoral link, and that it is just a message to the Centre as the people of the country remain troubled by inflation and unemployment.

We unite the country: Rahul

“I want to ask you whether price rise, hatred strengthen the country… Narendra Modi and BJP are weakening the country. Congress party unites the country. We erase hatred and when hatred is erased, the country moves faster. This we have done for years. I want to tell Congress karyakarta that you can save the country. Congress ideology can bring the country on the path of progress,” said Rahul at the rally.

Rahul alleged that the hatred was being spread for the benefit of two industrialists and not the people, the farmers or small shopkeepers.

“Airports, ports, roads, cell phones, oil, everything goes to these people. The BJP is giving everything to these two,” Rahul said.

Rahul recalled that the previous UPA government under Manmohan Singh had given a loan waiver of ₹70 lakh crore to farmers while the BJP regime gave three “black laws” to benefit the two industrialists.

Citing the UPA government’s flagship employment scheme MGNREGA, he said if not for MGNREGA, which Modi tried to find fault with, the country would have been on fire.

“UPA pulled 27 crore out of poverty in 10 years while the Modi government pushed 23 crore back into poverty. Whatever work we did in 10 years was reversed by Modi in his years. But he is eloquent about development, New India and Make in India and that India has changed,” he said.

“We want to talk about the China attack, unemployment, price rise, but we are stopped. The institutions, whether it is the media, the judiciary, or the Election Commission, are all under pressure so that way has also been stopped. So the only way we have is to go to people. So Congress will start the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I want to thank you for coming so far. This is a fight of ideology and all the Opposition parties will come together to defeat BJP and RSS.”

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The Congress leader further said that since the BJP took office, there has been a steady increase in rage and intolerance. “The BJP is giving all the benefits to two people. Narendra Modi did notebandi (demonetisation). Did it help the poor? The three laws were not for farmers but it was for those two corporate houses only. But the farmers came on the road and showed their power to Narendra Modi,” he added.

‘Not afraid of ED’ 

“I am not feeling good to say this but today the condition is such that even if the country wants, it won’t be able to provide employment. Because these two corporate houses don’t recruit employees. It is small and medium enterprises that give employment and Narendra Modiji has broken their backbone,” said Rahul.

“I am not afraid of your ED,” said Rahul, referring to the Enforcement Directorate questioning of him and Sonia in the National Herald case. 

“The ED asked me to sit for 55 hrs… but I am not afraid of your ED. Whether it is 55 hrs or five months or five years.”

Traffic advisory

As reports emerged that Congress workers were detained during a protest march, Delhi police denied it and said no Congress worker has been detained so far.

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The police said adequate security arrangements have been made in and around the Ramlila Maidan. It has also issued a traffic advisory on its official Twitter handle, alerting commuters about road closures on Sunday. Party workers from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, besides other parts of the country, are participating in the rally.

Many Congress workers, who came to attend the Mehngai Par Halla Bol rally, put up banners demanding Rahul once again lead the party.

“Rahul ji is our true leader and we have full faith in him that he will restore the glory of the Congress. He should be made the party president,” said  Deepesh Singh, who came to  attend the rally from Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul had resigned from the top post following the party’s debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Sonia Gandhi has been leading the party as interim president since August 2019.