Valsad: Congress President Rahul Gandhi today kick-start the LS poll campaign of his party in Gujarat, the home-state of PM Narendra Modi, with a rally in tribal dominated Laldungari area under Dharampur taluka of Valsad district in extreme southern part of the western state.

Apart from his attacks on PM Modi on issues like Rafale deal, Demonetization, Farmers loan-waiving, and Land acquisition he also promised that on being voted to power in the next election his party would change and simplify the GST regime and also bring Income Guarantee scheme for poor people.

Starting his speech with his direct allegations on PM Modi about Rafale deal he also led people in shouting slogans like Chowkidar Chor Hai (The guard himself is the thief).

He claimed that as per the defence and Air Force documents it was clear that Modi had snatched the Rafale deal from government run HAL and got it given to Anil Ambani who was already under Rs 45 thousand crores of debt. Even the then French President had later confirmed it. Now the whole country and the world was saying that the guard is the thief but Modi ji was not saying anything. When he spoke on the issue in the parliament for 1 and a half hours he could not face me or look in to my eyes. Neither did he reply my four queries about the deal.

Congress president said that the government had not only done the act of ‘burglary’ in Rafale deal but it had done it in many other ways. It had waived around Rs 3.5 lakh crores of loan of around 15 Industrialists. Anil Ambani has 45 thousand crores debt while Nirav Modi and Mehul Chowksi fled with Rs 35000 crores and Vijay Malya with 10000 crores and Lalit Modi with thousands of crores. ‘But the BJP government can’t waive the loans of the farmers of Gujarat and other states ruled by it. Congress did it as per its promise in Chattisgarh, MP and Rajasthan where the earlier CM’s were saying that there was no money for it. We had also promised farmer loan waiver for Gujarat in last election and then BJP had alleged us of lying,’ he said adding that there was no dearth of funds for it.

He alleged that the Modi government was not concerned with the issues and problems of farmers or tribal people.

‘It was bringing various projects like Bharatmala, Bullet Train and Industrial Corridor and no one was against them but permission should be sought from farmers and tribal people before acquisition of their landd and proper compensations- four times the market price- should be paid to them as per the land acquisition act passed by the erstwhile Congress led UPA government at center. Also as per the law the land should be returned if nothing was done on it in five years. Our government led by Bhupesh Vaghel in Chhattisgarh has done so by returning land acquired by Tatas in Bastar region. We are also doing so in Rajasthan and MP. But Modi ji was not implementing this law in Gujarat and other BJP ruled states. The Bharatmala scheme has become Bharat-mara scheme as the land was being forcibly taken,’ he said.

Rahul Gandhi said that there should be development and roads etc should be constructed but the voices of farmers and tribal people could not be crushed for it.

Talking about demonetization he reiterated that Anil Ambani or any other billionaire was not seen in the queues to get their notes exchanged during it but all the honest common people were forced to do so. ‘All the corrupt and dishonest ones went in to the banks from the back-door and converted there black money in to white. The bank of Amit Shah and Jay Shah got Rs 700 crore of scrapped notes exchanged,’ he alleged.

He said that after that the GST which he termed Gabbar Singh Tax was clumsily implemented and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley supposed that all the small and medium scale businessmen were tax evaders and thieves. Congress if voted to power would change this and make it simpler and one tax system.

He also said that his party was working on the concept of income guarantee for the past 3-4 months. ‘ It was a historic thing like the white or green revolution or the computer revolution that happened during erstwhile congress regimes. On winning the election we would implement the income guarantee under which direct transfer of money would be done in the accounts of poor people,’ he said quipping that it would be like how PM Modi transferred Rs 30 thousand crores directly to Anil Ambani in Rafale deal.

‘During the recent announcement about farmers assistance in the parliament under which only about Rs 3 per day per person or Rs 17 and a half per family per day would be given to farmers, BJP members continued to clap for so long that I became surprised. It was such a meager amount which was insulting for the farmers. When our government would implement guaranteed income scheme the amount transferred in to accounts of poor people won’t be like Rs 3 or 17 and a half,’ he said.

He also took a jibe at PM Modi for his radio address to the nation and said that he has asked his leaders to hear the mun ki baat of the common man and act accordingly taking it as an order rather than making them listen their mun ki baat.

Talking about Gujarat he said that as the two great sons of this state Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi had shown the way to the nation, Gujarat would show it to the nation again. He also said that he liked the food and people of Gujarat and wanted to visit the state more often. He reiterated that under the BJP rule the farmers, tribal people of Gujarat were facing oppression and only 15 to 20 people were getting benefited.

DeshGujarat