Hyderabad: In one of the most direct and frontal attacks on the Opposition Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday demanded that the party should explain to people why it has stopped raising the ‘Ambani-Adani’ issue as its ‘Shehzada’ used to do for the past five years and asked if it has struck a ‘deal’.
Have “tempo loads of notes (money)” reached the Congress that it has stopped targeting, “Ambani-Adani’,” PM Modi said while addressing an election rally at Vemulawada in Telangana.
“You would have seen that the Congress shahzada (referring to Rahul Gandhi), for the last five years, has been repeating this. Ever since his Rafale row was grounded, he started repeating this – first, he kept speaking of five industrialists, and then started saying Ambani-Adani, Ambani-Adani, Ambani-Adani. For five years. But even since elections have been announced, they have stopped abusing the two. I want to ask the public of Telangana, the shahzada should declare – during these polls, how much have they taken from Ambani-Adani? How many sacks of black money have been taken? Have tempos full of notes reached the Congress? What’s the deal that’s been struck? Why did you stop abusing Ambani-Adani overnight? Surely something is amiss. Five years you abused the two and then stopped overnight; this means loot (chori ka maal) has been delivered to you in tempos. You will have to answer to the nation,” he said in Telangana.
The Congress has been attacking the Modi government, accusing the Prime Minister of favouring the top five industrialists in the country, including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.
Addressing the rally after the third phase of general elections, Modi also said the phase has blown the third ‘fuse’ of Congress and its INDI Alliance.
He added four phases of polling are left and with the blessings of the people, the BJP and NDA were marching toward victory.
Attacking the Congress and K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS in Telangana, Modi said while the BJP believes in the ‘nation first’ principle, for the two parties it is ‘family first’. The BRS and Congress openly criticise each other on corruption, but it is a common factor between these parties, he charged.
In the evening, Rahul Gandhi posted a video responding to the PM’s comments. “Namaskar Modi ji, are you a little nervous? Usually you talk of Adani-Ambani behind closed doors; it’s the first time you’ve referred to them in public. And you even know they give cash in tempos – is this from personal experience? Do one thing – send the CBI and ED to them, get them investigated as soon as possible. Don’t be worried. I assure the nation once more – the money Narendra Modi has given to them, we will give to the poor. Mahalakshmi Yoyana, Pehli Naukri Pakki Yojana – through these schemes, we will make crores of lakhpatis. They made 22 arabpatis, we will make crores of lakhpatis,” he said. with agency inputs