PM Modi spreading fear across country: Rahul Gandhi

Continuing his attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Government, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the former has spread a sense of fear across the country, adding that both the RSS and the BJP are also spreading hatred through demonetisation.

"We told the farmers not to fear anybody, but what did Narendra Modi do? Instill fear in the minds of people, farmers fear that their land will be taken from them. Wherever he goes, whichever state it may be, he creates fear and the people then convert fear to anger," said Gandhi, while addressing the Congress Working Committee convention at the Talkatora Stadium here.

Gandhi further said that Prime Minister Modi committed a surgical strike on the poor people and alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is destroying the country by spreading a feeling of hatred by implementing demonetisation.

"Prime Minister Modi did a surgical strike on the poor, the farmer, the middle class without consulting the RBI, within a matter of hours, demonetisation was announced. The entire institution of the RBI was destroyed in a matter of hours," he said.

He further sought a reply from the prime minister on the amount of black money that has come back post demonetisation.

"Demonetisation was done just so that the bad loans worth eight lakh crore, that Prime Minister Modi's friends are responsible for, can be written off. The rest of India was made to pay for this," he said.

"The poor man's money will go into the pockets of these people --gareebo ka paisa kheencho, ameero ko seecho," he added.

Gandhi also took a jibe at the prime minister's November 8 address to the nation and said that they will defeat the BJP-led NDA government in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh election.

"He came on TV like Amitabh Bachchan and delivered his demonetisation dialogue. Like a magician he said "Mitron! Put your hands in your pocket", people did as he said. Then he said, "The money in your pockets is now just pieces of paper"," he said.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi said for the first time in the history, the Prime Minister of India is being ridiculed all over the world for taking an "incompetent and ill-planned" decision.

"For the first time in the history, the Prime Minister of India is being ridiculed for taking such as incompetent and ill-planned decision," he said.

He said the demonetisation move was not RBI's decision but a 'personal decision' of Prime Minister Modi.

"Today they (BJP) have weakened every institution. For the first time in history Prime Minister of India is being ridiculed. The Prime Minister needs to spend some time with the poor, farmers of the country and ask them why suddenly people are running to villages? Today I read in newspaper that Prime Minister said he will transform India," he said.