Rahul trying to hide failures of Cong govts in states: BJP

Dubbing him as a "non-serious, part-time politician", BJP accused that he "runs away" from debate or discussion

Launching a counter-offensive, BJP today accused Rahul Gandhi of "befooling" public through his "series of lies" in order to hide the "failures" of Congress governments in Assam and other states.

Dubbing him as a "non-serious, part-time politician", BJP alleged that the Congress Vice President "runs away" from debate or discussion based on facts, as he is trying to divert public attention from issues of corruption, misgovernance, illegal immigration and votebank politics.

"Rahul Gandhi is a 'lying machine' who keeps spreading lies to befool the public in order to hide the failures of Congress-run governments in Assam and other states. He has adopted a 'shoot and scoot' policy.

"BJP warns Rahul Gandhi not to befool public through his lies and instead face the public for scams and corruption that the Congress has indulged in. The public will teach Congress a befitting lesson in the upcoming assembly polls," party national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

The reaction came as Rahul stepped up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of promoting the interest of a few select industrialists and "those with black money", while imposing tax on life-long savings of the salaried class.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Assam, Rahul vowed to put pressure on the government till it rolls back the proposal of levying tax on EPF withdrawals and accused the Modi government of failing to deliver on election promises.

Rejecting the charges, Sharma said the Modi government has done in few months what other governments have not been able to achieve in decades and would continue to work for bringing the poor and downtrodden into the mainstream.

He also challenged Rahul to debate the issue of petrol and diesel prices, saying reduction in international crude oil prices has been passed on to the consumer while some part has been utilised for creating rural infrastructure like roads and other social sector schemes to help bring the poor into the mainstream.

"The anti-poor, anti-development Congress has indulged in corruption. Rahul Gandhi himself is on bail for fraud in the National Herald case. The corruption of Congress government in Assam will be exposed," he claimed.

"Congress is giving the slogan of 'gareebi hatao' for decades and failed to do anything for the poor and now when the Modi government is doing, it is trying to stop it.

"It is stopping the country from moving forward on the path of speedy progress. The public will never spare Congress," the BJP leader said.

Sharma said that the Congress leader has "lost his senses and is acting out of frustration" due to the performance of the Modi government.