People have decided to remove PM Modi: Rahul in Karnataka

Raichur/Chikkodi (Karnataka), April 19

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be “removed from Delhi” and his party would form the government after the Lok Sabha polls.

On the final lap of his election campaign in the Congress-JDS alliance ruled Karnataka, Gandhi also hit out at Modi for “what he has done” to his “guru”, BJP stalwart L K Advani, saying that he should be “ashamed” of it.

Gandhi addressed rallies at Raichur and Chikkodi in north Karnataka and is not scheduled to again campaign in the state, which will go to the second phase of polls on April 23.

The first leg of the elections was held on Thursday.

At his rally in Raichur, Gandhi said, “People have decided in 2019 that in Karnataka, the Congress and JD(S); in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu (Chandrababu Naidu); and across the country those who are fighting against BJP, they will win. Narendra Modi will be removed from Delhi.”

Gandhi, who addressed a rally in Gujarat earlier in the day said, “People have decided. I’m telling you people of Gujarat have decided, I am coming from Gujarat. There is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in Gujarat.”     

“People of Gujarat are saying, leave alone the country, Narendra Modi has not done anything for Gujarat... Lakhs of acres of our land were given to big business people,” Gandhi said.

Assuring Congress and JDS workers that the alliance of the two parties would win here (in Karnataka), he said, “In Delhi, the Congress will form the government.”     

He also said Modi talks about security of the nation, “but making crores of youth unemployed” does not strengthen the nation.

In his Chikkodi rally, Gandhi raked up the issue of Advani, who has been kept out of the contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“In Hindustan there is nothing bigger than Guru.

“Narendra Modi speaks about dharma, but see what he has done to Advani. He should be ashamed.”

“Advaniji made Narendra Modji stand, but in two minutes Narendra Modi sidelined Advani,” Gandhi said.

“He does not even do ‘namaste’ to him (Advani), he looks at the other side. Then he speaks about dharma.”     

Accusing Modi of not having fulfilled any of the promises he made, Gandhi said “he has destroyed crores of people, he has spread hate in the country, he spreads hate wherever he goes.”     

Speaking about the “NYAY” scheme (minimum income guarantee scheme) the Congress has promised to implement if voted to power, he said that under it, Rs 3.6 lakh would be put into the accounts of 20 per cent economically weaker sections over five years.

“You will have to decide between truth—the Nyay programme, brotherhood, love on one side; on the other side, hate, demonetisation, Gabbar Singh Tax and unemployment,” Gandhi told the crowd.

The uneasy alliance of the Congress and JDS is fighting the Lok Sabha polls together in all the 28 constituencies, but the electoral arrangement has been hit by resentment at the level of local leaders and workers, who have fought each other for decades and are now finding it difficult to reconcile to the new situation.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who was also present at the Raichur rally, said there was a need for a non-BJP government at the Centre.

“Only if Narendra Modi goes, this country will be free, keep this in mind.”

He accused Modi of having deceived people despite having a clear mandate and caused a loss to the country on the issues of demonetization, unemployment and GST.

“Narendra Modi thinks that there is no leader greater than him in the country; I can prove that there are leaders other than you who can develop this country well, there is that ability,” Naidu said. PTI