Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his jibes at Himachal government as being most corrupt and said an economist of NITI Ayog has declared the state as most honest in the country.
Addressing a rally at Nagrota in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, Gandhi said Congress government under Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has carried out all round development of the state.
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“As per independent surveys, Himachal leads in education, health and cleanliness and is one of the top ranked states in the country,” he said.
“There are two types of persons, one who (Virbhadra Singh) works dedicatedly while there are others (Narendra Modi) who takes credit for others work,” he said while invoking former Prime Minister and his grandmother, Indira Gandhi.
He also cited the Bhagwad Gita to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said it is written in the Gita, ‘kaam karo, phal ki chinta mat karo’ (keep performing your duty and don’t worry about results).
“But Modi has works on the principle of ‘Phal sab kha jao aur kaam ki chinta mat karo’ (eat all the fruits and don’t worry about the work),” he said.
Congress vice president said first demonetisation and later, faulty implementation of GST has ruined small and medium businesses, leaving lakhs of youth unemployed.
“The ill-conceived decisions have hit the state hard and horticulture, agriculture and tourism sectors, which are considered the backbone of Himachal Pradesh, were adversely affected,” he said, adding the state’s apple economy alone has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 2000 crore due to this.
He lashed at PM Modi over the issue unemployment and questioned as to what happened to his promise of providing 2 crore jobs every year.
“China provides 50000 jobs per day while Indian government just 450,” he said, while calling on Modi to fulfill his poll promises.
He questioned PM’s silence on corruption allegation on Madhya Pradesh government (Vyapam Scam), Lalit Modi’s alleged payout to Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje’s son, inclusion of tainted leaders in BJP and increase in wealth of Jai Shah, the son of party chief president Amit Shah.
Taking a jibe at 2014 poll promise of ‘na khaunga na khane dunga’, he said the Prime Minister hasn’t yet broken his silence over corruption allegations against BJP leaders. “His promise now seems to have been changed to ‘na bolunga, na bolne dunga’ (neither I would respond, not let any do),” he said.
Gandhi even accused former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for indulging in corruption during previous regime and said he grabbed government land for the benefit of his son (Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur).
“Demonetisation has severely hit the common man and November 8, first anniversary of note ban, will be observed as black day,” he said.