Achhe din will come when Congress returns to power in 2019: Rahul

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 11

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his demonetisation move saying achhe din would come to India only when the Congress returned to power in 2019.

Addressing the Congress’s national convention here against the government’s “anti-people policy”, Gandhi said the Prime Minister had become a subject of ridicule like never before in Indian history and no world economist had approved the demonetisation.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

“For the first time, the Prime Minister has been ridiculed the world over. Every single economist has questioned the incompetent and badly thought-out decision. The move has undermined the position of the RBI Governor,” Gandhi said while addressing his Congess cadres, even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave the convention the miss signalling the gradual emergence of Rahul as the party chief.

Citing a 60 per cent dip in the automobile sales and a loss of jobs triggering an enhanced demand in NREGA, Gandhi mocked Modi for making his 2.5-year rule an affair in event management.

“Demonetisation was the PM’s excuse to hide behind a new issue. He knew he could no longer hide behind 'Clean India', 'Skill India' and 'Stand up India', so he created a new issue. He jumps from issue to issue, changing goal posts,” Gandhi said, ridiculing the PM’s 'Swachh Bharat' call as a “fashion which has been outlasted by another”.

The Amethi MP questioned the PM’s yoga skills saying he had closely observed the PM’s yoga gig on India Gate and found that he was unable to perform padmasana. “I’m no yoga expert but know that anyone who knows yoga, knows padmasana,” Gandhi said, adding that the PM’s International Yoga Day was nothing more than an event.

Speaking for close to 20 minutes at the convention’s inauguration, Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of undermining institutions from the RBI to judiciary to Election Commission.

“Now, the RSS and BJP will run this country?  No, we won’t let this happen; we will preserve institutions and defeat divisive forces,” Gandhi said amid applause from a 6,000-strong gathering, led by former PM Manmohan Singh, senior leaders AK Antony and Ahmed Patel.