Modi follows RSS ideology of not empowering women: Rahul

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today claimed that second RSS chief M S Golvalkar was against giving voting rights to women, and Narendra Modi, whose ideology is similar to the Sangh, would not take up the issue of women empowerment if voted to power.

Addressing election rallies at Solan and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, Gandhi said though posters of Modi promising women empowerment were on display in Delhi, the BJP prime ministerial candidate would not do anything about it.

RSS chief M S Golvalkar was not in favour of granting voting rights to women and had said that "giving voting rights to women is a mistake", Gandhi claimed, adding, that Modi's ideology is similar to that of the Sangh and there was difference between what the BJP preached and practiced.

The Congress vice president attacked Modi for playing "politics of business" and extending largess to Adani.

He also targeted the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, accusing it of getting lands from the state government on token lease. "It is a clear case of 'Jamin Sarkari and Sampati Haamari' (land belongs to the government, but property is ours)," he alleged.

Gandhi denounced the Modi model of development in Gujarat and alleged that it snatched the lands of poor farmers and gave 45,000 acres of land valuing Rs 10,000 crore on token lease of Re 1 to Adani and also handed over the power sector worth Rs 26,000 crore to another industrial group.

"The total expenditure on health and education in Gujarat was Rs 8,000 crore while benefits of Rs 10,000 crore were given to Adani in one go," he alleged.

Taking a dig at Modi for his remarks that country needs a "chowkidar (guard)", Gandhi said "what would happen if chowkidar turns thief?"

"It is a battle between ideology which worked for uplift of poor, workers and women for 60 years and those who negate the development made in the country in past 60 years," the Congress leader said.