AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge urged party workers to work as one to ensure over 150 seats in the 10 May Karnataka Assembly polls.
Congress leaders say unemployment reason for incident, point finger at the ruling BJP. (Supplied)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, 16 April, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by bringing up the Adani issue in Karnataka’s Kolar.
It was in the same district where in 2019 he made a remark on the “Modi” surname for which he was convicted of criminal defamation and stripped of his Parliament membership recently.
In his first visit to Karnataka after the Assembly polls were announced on 29 March, Rahul emphasised the Adani issue to target the Prime Minister.
He also launched a nationwide “Jai Bharat” rally in Kolar.
He was accompanied by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka’s Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC president DK Shivakumar and other party leaders.
This event was earlier titled “Satyameva Jayate”, which was scheduled to take place on 5 April, but was postponed twice. The event was renamed the “Jai Bharat” rally when it was rescheduled to 16 April.
Launching an attack on the Prime Minister, the disqualified Wayanad MP recalled: “When I asked a question about Adani in Parliament, my mic was turned off. I asked the prime minister what his relationship with Adani was.”
Business tycoon Gautam Adani is the founder and chairman of the Adani Group.
“I displayed a picture of Modi and Adani resting on the plane. I asked, ‘What is the relationship between you?’ Many public sectors including airports and ports are being handed over to Adani,” said Rahul.
“For the first time in the country’s history, the government did not allow Parliament to function. It was the government MPs who disrupted the proceedings. The BJP ministers lied against me in the House,” he added.
He further said: “I wrote to the speaker twice to talk about the allegations against me. But it was not allowed. Then I met the speaker seeking an opportunity to answer in the house. But he did not do anything.”
“The speaker could have allowed me to answer. I asked him why he was not allowing me to speak. He did nothing but smile. I was deliberately stopped. They don’t want me to talk about Adani in Parliament,” Rahul alleged.
He said: “Then, they disqualified me from Parliament. They might have thought that this might scare him. But I am not afraid of all this.”
The Congress leader added: “There was no investigation against the Adani Group’s firms that operated in the defence infrastructure.”
He also alleged charged that the chairman of the beleaguered conglomerate appointed a Chinese man to his “shell company”.
“Adani is a symbol of corruption. My only question to Modi is what is his relationship with Adani, who owns over ₹20,000 crore in shell companies?” he asked
BJP सोचती है मुझे संसद से हटाकर डरा देगी।
मैं नहीं डरता।
मैं फिर दोहराता हूं- PM मोदी का अडानी से क्या रिश्ता है? अडानी की शेल कंपनियों में 20,000 करोड़ किसके हैं?
मुझे डिसक्वालिफाई कर दो, जेल में डाल दो, फर्क नहीं पड़ता।
: @RahulGandhi जी pic.twitter.com/Waqx9xfxRm
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 16, 2023
“I will continue to fight until this question is answered. You deport me, put me in jail, I have no problem. I won’t stop,” Rahul Gandhi said that he would continue to fight against Modi.
Rahul Gandhi was on 23 March sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat’s Surat in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “why all thieves have the Modi surname” remark.
A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case.
The Gandhi scion made those remarks at Kolar in April 2019 during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.
Exuding confidence that the Congress would come to power in Karnataka, Rahul said: “The party would be voted to power in the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka. The new government would formally approve its poll promises in the first cabinet meeting itself.”
Listing out the four-guarantee poll promises, he said: “The poll ‘guarantees’ announced by the party are: Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya and Yuva Nidhi.”
He added: “These schemes will be implemented in the first cabinet meeting itself. There will be no delay. We will implement all the promises that were made to the people of Karnataka.”
He further said: “I appeal to the Congress leaders in Karnataka to send across a message all over the country that “if Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give thousands of crores to Adani, we can give money to the poor and women”.
He also attacked the Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka over corruption, reiterating allegations by contractors and private schools that they were forced to pay “40 percent commission”, and over the irregularities in the recruitment of sub-inspectors.
He also recalled the letter written by the Karnataka Contractors Association to the prime minister detailing the “commission” demands in the state.
“The letter never received any reply, nor were the allegations investigated,” he said.
Addressing the huge gathering at Kolar, AICC former president Rahul Gandhi demanded that the Modi government release the OBC census.
He said: “Modi and his Cabinet ministers are talking about backward classes to divert the people’s attention from their failure. The people of the country should be informed about the percentage of OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis.”
He added: “In Modi’s rule, only 7 percent of secretary-level officials are OBCs and Dalits. Is this Modi’s concern and social justice?”
He also said: “If the prime minister is genuinely concerned about the welfare of OBCs and SC/STs, he should release the caste census data and implement reservations based on the caste census. Otherwise, it would be akin to the prime minister insulting the OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis. I challenge the Union government to remove the current 50 percent reservation cap if he is really concerned about the OBCs and SC/STs.”
Appealing to the party leaders to ensure the victory of the party in the 10 May Karnataka assembly polls, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said: “I don’t care if any of you become the Chief Minister. The Congress should come back to power again in Karnataka.”
“Popular programmes like Kshira Bhagya and Anna Bhagya should be implemented again. The chief minister is elected as per the decision of the party MLAs and the high command.
“You think about the people, leave the rest to the high command. All of you should unite and get around 150-160 seats for the party. We have managed to achieve this previously. It is not us but the BJP leaders themselves who are accusing that this is the most corrupt government,” Kharge appealed to party workers to work in unity.
Criticising the BJP over Rahul’s disqualification from Wayanad, Kharge said: “In Gujarat, Within 22 days of registering FIR against Gandhi, judgement was given and the disqualification was done in 24 hours and also served the notice to vacate the house.”
“This is the dictatorial attitude of the BJP. So, we have to save democracy. For this, we all must move forward together under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.”
“If we don’t have the strength to fight against injustice, to survive, the constitution and democracy won’t survive. Congress must come to power if these have to remain,” Kharge urged all the party workers to strive hard to bring Congress to power in Karnataka.
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