Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the Chinese had dared to enter India and kill our soldiers because the Narendra Modi government had weakened our nation with its anti-national policies and actions, of which the farm laws were the latest example.

Addressing a rally on the last leg of Day 2 of Congress’ ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ in Punjab, Rahul said China had realised that Modi had weakened India, and had taken advantage of this to take control of 1,200 kilometers of our land.

He said the Prime Minister had broken the backbone of the country, whose economic growth had plummeted from nine per cent under Dr Manmohan Singh to 24 per cent at present.

Accusing Modi of ruining the country to help his capitalist and industrialist friends, Rahul said India was going backward, which the Chinese had seen.

“Why else would China dare enter our territory? How could they kill 20 of our soldiers, who were on our side of the LAC, if the Chinese did not enter India, as Modi claims?”, asked Rahul, warning the people that they could shut their eyes to these facts at their own peril.

He also castigated the Modi government for controlling the media through the corporate houses and thus stifling all voices of dissent.

Warning the farmers against the dangerous designs of the Narendra Modi government, as part of a deliberate and malicious agenda to destroy their lives to promote the interests of a handful of industrialists, Rahul said the Prime Minister was only interested in helping out three-four of his industrialist friends.

Modi does not care for the people, said Rahul, recalling the plight of the migrants during the lockdown period, and the crisis triggered by demonetisation and GST. Rs 3.50 lakh crore in loans was waived off for industrialists after demonetisation, and even amid Covid, they were being given incentives while the poor were only getting subsidies, he said.

On the Covid pandemic, Rahul said Modi had claimed the war against the pandemic would be won in 22 days. “Has it happened? If so, then why are people wearing masks?” he asked.

Warning the farmers that the new laws of the Centre would lead to dismantling of the minimum support price and Food Corporation of India system and the Mandis, Rahul said this might not happen in the next two-three years but was the final game plan of Modi, who only wanted to promote the interests of his industrialist friends, particularly Ambanis and Adani.