Dediapada (Gujarat): An unusually aggressive Shri Rahul Gandhi lambasted the Prime Minister for various “failures” in Gujarat and declared that his Congress would work to defeat the BJP and Narendra Modi across India.

Addressing a well-attended rally in tribal-dominated Dediapada area of Narmada district in central Gujarat, the Congress Vice- President Shri Rahul Gandhi said his party would not indulge in “mann ki baat”, a reference to Prime Minister Modi’s monthly radio address to the nation. “If we win, we will go to every doorstep to understand what the people want the government to do. Our marketing may not be good, but we will ensure good work for the welfare of all people.”

He added that the Congress believes in reaching every section of society. ”The Congress does not believe in just telling our own Mann ki Baat, as we believe in listening to people. When our government will be formed here, we will listen to the people first and then work accordingly,” Congress Vice President said.

Referring to the demonetisation issue, he said it demonstrated the PM’s power in making the people fall in line. “He wanted everybody else to listen to him and make them stand in queues across India.”

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on 1st May, 2017 disputed the BJP’s development claims in Gujarat and said the governments in the state and at the Centre worked only for a handful of industrialists. Shri Rahul Gandhi further alleged that Gujarat was now being controlled by 10-15 people who corner all the benefits of power. “Even the Patidars, who earlier supported Modi, told me that their children could not get good education because these 10-15 people all Modi’s friends controlled this sector. No one has benefited from Vibrant Gujarat either, except 10-15 industrialists.”

The Congress Vice President Shri Rahul Gandhi referred to his 2011 experience at Bhatta-Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh, where he said the Congress ensured that farmers got their land back from industrialists. “The NDA government tried to scrap the law that ensured this provision of the Land Acquisition Act. In Gujarat, however, thousands of acres were gifted to industrialists.” Wherever the Congress was in power, it gave land ownership to tribals, while Modi gave it to industrialists, Shri Rahul Gandhi claimed.

Shri Rahul Gandhi told tribals that it was they who owned the land, forest and water, not just 10-15 people. He credited Gujarat’s farmers, including women, for the White Revolution. “Amul replaced the once-powerful Polson monopoly on milk products due to the hard work of Gujarati people.”

He also mentioned Modi’s speech in Parliament, where he had ridiculed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a brainchild of the previous Congress-led UPA government. “Before he became the PM, Modi had promised to create two crore jobs per annum. But, less than one lakh jobs were created last year.”

Congress Vice President Shri Rahul Gandhi’s speech marks the opening of Congress’ campaign in Gujarat, which will go to polls in a couple of months. He promised to fights the polls with ‘full force’ to defeat the BJP in PM Modi’s home state. He said the collective effort of people will be required to defeat the saffron party. ”Our government will try to build Gujarat after coming to power. The Congress will fight this election with full force and defeat Narendra Modi and BJP here,” he said.

Senior Congress leaders Shri Ahmed Patel, Shri Ashok Gehlot, Shri Madhusudan Mistry, Gujarat Pradesh Congress President Shri Bharatsinh Solanki, and party leaders Shri Tushar Chaudhary, Shri Shaktisinh Gohil, Shri Arjun Modhvadia and Shri Siddharth Patel were present on the occasion.