PM cheated public by projecting himself as 'chowkidar': Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday mounted attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of cheating the people of the country by projecting himself as the country's 'chowkidar' (watchman).

He said Modi had claimed to be a watchman to protect the country's interests but he "turned out to be a 'chowkidar' of (industrialists) Anil Ambani and Vijay Mallya".

Gandhi was addressing a rally at Satna on the first day of his two-day visit to the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh ahead of assembly polls due later this year.

He began the tour of the state by offering prayers at famous Kamta Nath temple in this religious town associated with Lord Rama.

"The prime minister has cheated the people of the country. Modi became prime minister by stating that he will be the chowkidar (watchman) of the country, but he turned out to be the chowkidar of Ambani and Mallya and put the nation's Rs 30,000 crore in the pocket of Ambani through Rafale scam," the Congress leader alleged.

Ambani has already rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations and emphasised that the government had no role in the Rafale- manufacturer French company Dassault picking up his company as a local partner.

He had written to Gandhi on December 12, 2017, refuting allegations of his Reliance Group lacking experience to get the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He had written that Reliance Defence has the largest shipyard in the private sector at Pipavav in Gujarat and is currently building five Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels (NOPVs) for the Indian Navy and 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard.

Taking a jibe at Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gandhi said, "There are two types of machines working in the country.

"First is of Modi, who runs a machine of lies and the second one is of Chouhan who operates a machine of making announcements. Because of these machines, they have lost the faith of the people in the country."