Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged they "looted" Bihar, and did not help migrant workers during the coronavirus lockdown.
Addressing two poll rallies in the state, the former Congress president criticised the NDA government over demonetisation, migrant crisis, GST, handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the three new farm laws. Gandhi will wind up his election tour of Bihar with rallies at Bihariganj in Madhepura and then at Araria on Wednesday.
Speaking at Katihar rally he said neither Modi nor Kumar did anything to help migrant labourers when they were walking thousands of kilometres to return to their home during the coronavirus lockdown.
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"The Congress had arranged buses for the movement of migrant workers. We are not in power so we could not do it for millions, but we helped as many people as we could," he said.
Gandhi also claimed the PM and the Bihar CM have failed to fulfill promises on development and job creation.
"I want to ask all the youth who are here that Modi ji had said he will give two crore jobs every year, but where are the jobs? Why are the youth unemployed today?" he asked.
He also alleged that farmers are angry with Modi over the three recently enacted agricultural laws.
"And that is why farmers in Punjab burnt the effigies of Narendra Modi, Ambani and Adani on Dusshera. The truth (of these laws) has come out in Punjab. It has come out in Bihar as well," he said. He said demonetisation hurt the poor but benefited the big "chosen" corporate and GST has harmed small shopkeepers.
The Congress leader further stated that at least 20 per cent of the maize produced in the country comes from Bihar, but "do you get the right price? What did Modi ji and Nitish ji do to get you the right price?"
"Every youth of Bihar knows that Narendra Modi and Nitishji have together looted Bihar. They have destroyed Bihar's small shopkeepers.
And now the youth and the farmer of Bihar have decided to vote for Grand Alliance," he claimed. In his second rally at Kishanganj, he said Modi had "promised" that he would give Rs 15 lakh to everybody, but after winning elections he invalidated Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 bank notes, forcing" people to deposit their own money in banks.
"During the elections, he said he would give you money, but after winning the election he (did exactly the opposite) and took money from you," he alleged. He said that after the Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh, it raised the Minimum Support Price for paddy to Rs 2,500 per quintal.
"If the Chhattisgarh government can do this then why cant the Bihar government? Here its just Rs 1200," he said. "What we did in Chhattisgarh we want to do here also," he promised. He also attacked NDAs "B team" fighting the elections, apparently referring to the AIMIM, without naming it.
"On one side there is the NDA and on the other there is the Grand Alliance. And in between there is NDAs B team (whose leader) is roaming around in helicopter throughout the day. "The BJP and the RSS spread hatred and we fight them. We fight them too (the NDAs B team). Our work is to keep the people of country united, and take the country forward. The A and the B teams work is to spread hatred in the country and divide it," he said.
Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM which has joined a separate coalition with the RLSP of former union minister Upendra Kushwaha and BSP of Mayawati in the Bihar polls, has fielded some candidates in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal areas, including Kishanganj.
Gandhi also claimed the PM and the Bihar CM have failed to fulfil promises on development and job creation.
"I want to ask all the youth who are here that Modi ji had said he will give two crore jobs every year, Nitish ji said the same, but where are the jobs? Why are the youth unemployed today?" he said.
He also alleged that farmers are angry with Modi over the three recently enacted agricultural laws.
"And that is why farmers in Punjab burnt the effigies of Narendra Modi, Ambani and Adani on Dusshera. The truth (of these laws) has come out in Punjab. It has come out in Bihar as well."
He said demonetisation hurt the poor but benefited the big "chosen" corporate and GST has harmed small shopkeepers.
The Congress leader further stated that at least 20 per cent of the maize produced in the country comes from Bihar, but "do you get the right price? What did Modi ji and Nitish ji do to get you the right price?"
"Every youth of Bihar knows that Narendra Modi and Nitishji have together looted Bihar. They have destroyed Bihar's small shopkeepers. And now the youth and the farmer of Bihar have decided to vote for Grand Alliance," he added.
Gandhi is scheduled to address another rally during the day.