PM Modi 'chowkidar' of his industrialist 'friends', says Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a 'chowkidar' of his industrialist "friends" and accused him of speaking one lie after the other.

Gandhi was addressing his first poll rally in Haryana for the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress has fielded Ajay Singh Yadav from the Gurgaon parliamentary seat.

"During last elections, PM Narendra Modi made different promises to people of this country and Haryana Modi speaks one lie after the other. He said he will give two crore jobs to the youth, put Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts, remunerative price for farmers' produce and will double farmers' income," Gandhi said.

"Did you give farmers the right price for their produce? Did you put Rs 15 lakh? No," he said.

"He (Modi) waived loans worth Rs 5.5 lakh crore of 15 industrialists of this country," Gandhi claimed.

"I want to ask how much loans of farmers of Haryana he waived," Gandhi asked the gathering.

He also spoke about how the Congress, after coming to power in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, waived farmers' loans.

When the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre and in Haryana, the MSP was hiked from time to time. Modi is not your Chowkidar, not Gurgaon's chowkidar," he said, claiming that the prime minister was a 'chowkidar' of a "big" industrialist.

Referring to alleged Rafale scam, the Congress chief Rahul claimed that Modi gave Rs 30,000 crore to an industrialist's company.

"Modi stole your Rs 30,000 crore and put it into his (industrialist) accounts," he claimed.

Taking a swipe at the prime minister, Gandhi said, "To seek votes, whatever comes to Modi's heart, he utters from the stage without applying the mind".

Referring to Modi's statement made from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Rahul said he said that the "elephant was sleeping" before he came to power.

Gandhi said Modi was trying to project as if nothing had happened in the country before the BJP came to power.

"Modi said nothing happened in the country before he came to power," he said.

"Gurgaon was not developed by Narendra Modi, but its people, its youth, labourers, farmers. Gurgaon was world famous before you (Modi) came, it was an IT hub. What have you given to Gurgaon, what have you given to Gurgaon and its people. Did you bring Metro?" he asked.

"When Modi says from the ramparts of the Red Fort that elephant was sleeping before he came, he insults you, your parents, your forefathers. The country is not built by one person, but crores of its people. Its farmers, labourers, mothers and sisters build this nation.

"Gurgaon is an example where people of various castes and communities co-exist peacefully. Before the BJP came, people lived peacefully in entire country. Wherever Modi goes, he spreads hatred, speaks lies," he alleged.

Congress president further accused the PM of "destroying" small trade and businesses with demonetisation and GST that he described as 'Gabbar Singh Tax.'