india

Updated: Feb 11, 2018 22:33 IST

Congress president Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, saying it was time he began delivering on his 2014 election promises of depositing Rs 15 lakh in every bank account and providing 20 million jobs a year.

“Modiji please stop talking and start working because you don’t have much time...In four years you haven’t even opened your account,” he said.

Gandhi was speaking at Karatagi town in Koppal district, about 385 km north of Bengaluru, on the second day of his four-day Janashirvada Yatra as part of the campaign for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. He said while Modi liked to quote 12th century philosopher Basavanna, who is considered the founder of the Lingayat sect, he had scant regard for his philosophy. “Modi likes to refer to Basavanna, who had said work is divine, but he does not follow that dictum and only talks,” Gandhi said.

“There are two types of governments. One that gives away the nation’s wealth to the rich, and another which redistributes wealth to the poor.”

Gandhi said while Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah agreed to waive farm loans in no time, the Modi government had refused to do so.

He said the Modi government works only for the rich and urged the PM to waive farm loans.

He claimed industrialists in the country have debts of around Rs 10 lakh crore, which were slowly being written off by the central government.

“However, despite having the money, the Modi government does not waive loans of farmers, who are the backbone of the country,” he said.

The Congress president said the BJP had mocked former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi when he mooted the proposal to develop the Information Technology sector. “But he laid his trust in the people of Karnataka and I want to thank you for making India proud,” he said.

Later in the day, addressing farmers in Sindhanur town in Raichur district, Gandhi said Modi had a habit of looking into the past instead of working.

The Congress president said Modi should learn from Siddaramaiah and not make allegations of corruption, while having former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on the dais.

“Modi has a propensity to look behind. He should also see who is sitting next to him on the stage before calling the current government corrupt,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi claimed that while China created 50,000 jobs a day, the Modi government could only generate 450 jobs a day.

He said the Prime Minister had launched a two-pronged attack on farmers through demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“It wasn’t an attack on corruption, it was against farmers...you were made to stand in queues outside banks while the rich entered banks through the back door and converted their black money to white,” Gandhi said.

The state BJP described Gandhi’s claims as a bundle of lies. “He failed to provide any evidence to support his allegations,” BJP spokesperson S Prakash said.

According to Prakash, the industrial class Gandhi accused Modi of favouring had thrived under the UPA government. “Rather than concentrating on the Prime Minister, he would be better advised to ask the state government about its failures,” he said.