Rae Bareli (UP), May 16 (UNI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party members have been intimidating voters ahead of the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled on May 20.
Addressing a public meeting in support of Congress candidate and brother Rahul Gandhi in Sareni area of Rae Bareli, Priyanka said, “The BJP candidate is seeking votes by intimidating the people. He grabs the land of the people.”
Referring to her grandmother and late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Priyanka said that despite being extremely religious, “she never asked for votes in the name of religion”, but PM Modi has made the election a Hindu-Muslim issue.
Without taking the name of BJP candidate from Rae Bareli, Dinesh Pratap Singh, she alleged that he is seeking votes by threatening people and grabbing their lands.
She said that today inflation has increased to such levels that the needs of a family are not fulfilled by the earnings of even all the members. Taking a dig at Narendra Modi, Priyanka said that the PM, however, does not speak on inflation, unemployment and other issues.
The Congress leader said, “Today people of BJP ask for votes only in the name of religion but our religious tradition has been to follow the path of truth. Indira Gandhi herself was very religious, used to worship but never sought votes on the basis of religion, she only asked for votes on the basis of her work.”
She said that the MGNREGA scheme was brought by the Congress government, but the Modi government has made it weak. “Today the Modi government has given all the big resources like ports, airports and mines to the big companies of the country. Big companies are concerned only with their profits and are not concerned with the interests of the public,” she said.
Taking aim at Narendra Modi, Priyanka said that he tried to make the election Hindu-Muslim issue and then later he said, when did I say that it is about Hindu-Muslim. “Now he is saying that he used to have meals in the house of a Muslim who used to live near his house,” she said.
She also said that today while Rs 16 lakh crore debts of big industrialists have been waived off, the loans of farmers remain. “Farmers, who take loans for purposes like daughter’s marriage and children’s education, are committing suicide due to debt,” she alleged.
The Congress leader said, “Today when I come, people meet me, talk to me and tell me their problems, but Narendra Modi walks away from the general public by waving from a distance,” she said.
She said Congress brought many schemes in the interest of the people, which include prompt payment of losses to farmers and minimum support price. She said that our government had brought the right to food.
Taking a dig at the PM, Priyanka said that Narendra Modi only wants to take advantage by pasting his photo everywhere.
She said that when Congress comes to power MNREGA will be implemented in both villages and cities. She said that 200 units of electricity are being provided free of cost in states having Congress governments.
