(L to R) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Credit: PTI Photos
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Narendra Modi is refusing to have a debate with him as the prime minister cannot answer questions about his 'links' with a few favoured businessmen and how he 'misused' electoral bonds.
Addressing a public meeting organised by the Congress in Delhi, he urged workers of his party and of the Aam Aadmi Party to work together and ensure victory for their alliance on all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.
'It's interesting that I'll vote for AAP and Arvind Kejriwal will vote for Congress in these elections,' he said.
Gandhi said the first aim of everyone should be to save the Constitution from those 'hell-bent on destroying it'.
Attacking the prime minister, the Congress leader said, 'PM Modi is giving non-stop interviews to his favourite journalists but he will not have a debate with me because he knows he cannot answer my questions.'
'PM Modi talks about the Congress getting tempo-loads of money from Adani-Ambani, but he doesn't dare to get it probed,' he said.
'I'm ready to debate with PM Modi whenever and wherever he wants, but I'm sure he won't come. The first question I would ask PM Modi is what is his relationship with Adani, next I want to ask him about electoral bonds,' the former Congress chief said.
Gandhi said the debate would end after these two questions only, but he also wants to ask the prime minister why did he ask the public to bang plates and flash mobile phones when people were suffering from the Covid pandemic.
'He won't join a debate with me but he speaks in his rallies only about issues I raise. When I said why he does not talk about Adani-Ambani, he talked about it immediately,' he said.
Gandhi also hit out at the media, alleging they were 'friends of 2-3 industrialists' as they would either show Ambani weddings, Bollywood stars or Narendra Modi on their channels round the clock. 'Still, stringers and cameramen working for these media houses will vote for Congress only,' he said.
In his speech, the senior Congress leader also referred to his questioning by the Enforcement Directorate.
'They got me interrogated by ED for 55 hours till they got tired... They snatched my house, I told them I don't want your house as the entire country is my home,' he said.
On those joining the BJP, Gandhi said he was fine with it. 'We don't want 'darpok' (coward) leaders, we want 'Babbar Sher'. We don't want those who cower fearing CBI-ED action.'
Talking about Congress and INDIA bloc plans if they are able to form government, Gandhi said, 'We will throw the Agniveer scheme in the dustbin, simplify GST and help small businessmen rather than big industrialists.'
He alleged that Prime Minister Modi has done nothing for small businessmen, but gave Rs 16 lakh crore to industrialists like Adani and Ambani.
'I urge Congress workers to vote for Congress candidates on three seats of Delhi and for AAP candidates on four seats. Similarly, I urge AAP workers to vote for their party leaders in four seats and for Congress candidates in three constituencies,' he said.
Under a seat-sharing arrangement between the two constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Congress has fielded candidates from three of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections while the AAP is contesting the remaining four.