Sirsa (Har): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday renewed his attack over alleged corruption in the Rafale aircraft deal, this time in response to Narendra Modi calling his late father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi Bharashtachari No 1 .
He also took on the prime minister over unemployment, taunting Modi for a remark that selling `pakodas' is a job worth doing. If you have to talk about Rajiv Gandhi and about me, do so definitely, Gandhi said at an election rally here.
But first explain what you have done on the Rafale issue. You should also explain to the people your unkept promise of 2 crore jobs for the youth, he said. Did you give farmers the right price for their produce? Did you put Rs 15 lakh into bank accounts? the Congress leader said, claiming that the BJP government had not fulfilled its election promises.
Gandhi said an industrialist friend of the prime minister benefitted from the Rafale agreement, a charge repeatedly rejected by the government.
He said the prime minister who boasted of a 56-inch chest is not talking about farmers' issues and unemployment during these elections.
In recent speeches, Modi has recalled Rajiv Gandhi' term as prime minister, referring to corruption charges against him and the alleged use of warship INS Viraat during a family vacation. He has also brought up the anti-Sikh riots around the time Rajiv Gandhi took over as prime minister after his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Congress has shown through farm loan waivers by its governments in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan that the party keeps its promises.