We’ll beat Land Bill in Parliament: Rahul

Timing his trip to Rajasthan just before the session, Gandhi told members of Rajasthan Congress that party’s agenda number one will be an attack on the BJP over its Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and senior Union Minister Sushma Swaraj having helped disgraced cricket boss Lalit Modi, who is in the United Kingdom.

Reiterating party’s line on the Land Acquisition Bill, he stressed on complete opposition to its passage. Earlier in the week, Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states had boycotted a NITI Aayog consultation called by the Prime Minister on the matter. 

Rahul Gandhi said the Congress would not let Modi’s land reforms see light of day and said: “Then in six months, Narendra Modi’s 56-inch chest will become a 5.6-inch chest.” He was referring to a speech made by the Prime Minister during the campaign for the national election last year.

Incidentally, Gandhi’s response came less than an hour after Modi had snipped at Congress leadership in Jammu making a “damad” or son-in-law jibe. 

Prime Minister rather seems to have spurred Gandhi into firing a series of barbs at the PM and his party.

“Raje broke the law of this country, helped a wanted fugitive,” Gandhi alleged and said: “This is Lalit Modi’s government. The Rajasthan government’s remote control is in London. They press the button and she jumps. Modiji, bring Lalit Modi back... He is a fugitive, he violated financial laws.”

Using the pulpit of a political function, wherein representatives of all ideological hues were present, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said in Jammu that there was no place for political untouchability in a democratic setup. He was probably using the occasion to justify the coming together of the BJP, which dominates the Jammu region and PDP, who controls Kashmir Valley, to form government in state. This point was seconded by J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed too, who said he wanted all the three regions of the state (Ladakh being the third), to work hand-in-hand.