Congress MP and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rahul alleged that the PM was being ‘controlled’ by industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.
Addressing a rally for grand alliance candidate and Congress leader Amita Bhushan in Begusarai, Rahul Gandhi once again took a dig at Modi’s 56-inch chest and reiterated his claim that Operation Sindoor was postponed following pressure from the US.
Rahul Gandhi said, “Operation Sindoor happened, Donald Trump calls. Modi ji, who says he has a 56-inch chest, gets scared when Donald Trump asks him to stop Sindoor and within two days, PM Modi gets it stopped. The truth is that Narendra Modi is not only afraid of the US President, but he is also being controlled by people like Adani-Ambani.”
The Congress leader said, “Prime Minister Modi has a 56-inch chest, but the truth is that the size of the chest does not indicate the courage of a person. Mahatma Gandhi fought against the British, his chest was not big but he was not afraid. There are many people whose chest is not big but they are not cowards, but there are also people whose chest is 56 inches but they are cowards.
He said, “During the 1971 war, the Indian Army was fighting against Pakistan. The US Navy came here and the US President (Richard Nixon) threatened the Indian Prime Minister to stop the war, no matter what was happening in Bangladesh. Indira Gandhi did not back down, she said America should do what they want. India will do what we want, and we showed them that.”
Continuing his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rahul Gandhi hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had said there was no land to set up industries in Bihar.
The Congress leader claimed that the state is left with no land due to the deal to “give” land to industrialist Adani for Re 1.
He said, “A few days ago, Amit Shah had said that there is no land to set up a company in Bihar. But I want to ask the Prime Minister that he says that there is no land, but you can steal it and give it to Adani for Re 1. There is land for it, but there is no land for the development of Bihar.”
The Congress leader appealed to the voters to vote for the Grand Alliance and promised the ‘best education’ to the people. He said that if he came to power, he would set up a university on the lines of Nalanda University and promised to make Bihar a hub for international students as well.
He said, “Our grand alliance will come to power in residential areas and we will provide you the best education. I give you a personal guarantee that the day the grand alliance comes to power at the Centre, we will open a good university like Nalanda University. We will open a university where students from all over the world will come and take admission.”
Begusarai Assembly constituency, one of the most closely watched constituencies, is set for a tough contest between the NDA and the Grand Alliance, while the arrival of Jan Suraj adds a new dimension to this high-stakes fight in the state.
Sitting party MLA and Bhumihar leader Kundan Kumar will contest re-election from Begusarai (Constituency 146), traditionally considered a BJP stronghold and dominated by upper-caste ‘Bhumihar’ voters.
Congress candidate Amita Bhushan, who is a Bhumihar face, seems to be pulling off an upset against the BJP candidate.