Balangir: Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had slammed both BJP and BJD during his last visit to Odisha, today refrained from making any direct or indirect attack on the BJD or Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Shri Gandhi today addressed a public rally at Koshal Kala Mandal and sought votes for his party candidates. Though he remained silent on BJD, Shri Gandhi strongly criticized the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He alleged that the BJP wants to “destroy” the Constitution and scrap the reservation provided to tribals, Dalits, and backward class. He claimed that if the BJP wins this election, it will privatise the public sector entities and the country will be run by 22 billionaires.
“BJP wants to tear this book, but we in Congress and the people of India will not allow it,” he said pointing to the Constitution in his hand.
Shri Gandhi said that whatever the country’s poor, Dalits, tribals, minorities, farmers and labourers have received till now, it is due to the Constitution.
If BJP wins, the reservation will be scrapped, the public sector will be privatised, and the country will be run by 22 billionaires. That’s why the people’s government should be formed,” he added.
Shri Gandhi claimed that loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of 22 billionaires were waived off under the BJP-led government, and the amount was equivalent to MGNREGA wages of 24 years.
“They have not given anything to the people. They have not waived off the loans of farmers and students. Forget waiver, they did not even provide loans to small businesses,” he claimed.
The Congress leader said that the money collected through GST from the common people of the country was going to only two-three persons.
Shri Gandhi further said that if the Congress is voted to power it will conduct a caste census to provide proper representation to Dalits, tribals and backward classes.
Shri Gandhi said that handing over airports to industrialists and giving defence contracts to private entities were being showcased as development by the BJP.
“While they have worked for 22 billionaires, we are going to create crores of ‘lakhpatis’,” he said.
Claiming that the INDIA bloc would form the government on June 4, Shri Gandhi said, “Soon after, we will make a list of all poor families of the country and a woman of each of these families will be provided with an assistance of Rs 8,500 per month.