Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Narendra Modi using the hashtag #BechendraModi.

Highlights Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his attacks on the government and PM Modi

He has alleged major discrepancies and crony capitalism

He said he was standing with the workers of state-owned companies

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over privatisation of state-run companies, alleging major discrepancies and crony capitalism.

"#BechendraModi is selling out the country's PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) to his suited-booted friends that took years of hard work to build. This spells a time of uncertainty and fear for lakhs of PSU workers. I am standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the workers in their opposition to this loot," Mr Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

#BechendraModi देश के PSUs को सूट-बूट वाले मित्रों के साथ बंदर बाँट कर रहा है, जिसे देश ने वर्षों की मेहनत से खड़ा किया है।



ये लाखों PSU कर्मचारियों के लिए अनिश्चितता और भय का समय है ।मै इस लूट के विरोध में उन सभी कर्मचारियों के साथ कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर खड़ा हू। pic.twitter.com/701zJQJnsZ — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 17, 2019

Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his attacks on the government and PM Modi in the run up to state elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. On Tuesday, he referred to the Prime Minister as a "loudspeaker" for certain industrialists, claiming that his strategy was like that of a pickpocket who diverts people's attention to steal their money.

"Modi is the loudspeaker of (industrialists) Adani and Ambani. Just like a pickpocket who distracts people before stealing, his only job is to divert your attention so that he can pass your money to select industrialists," news agency PTI quoted him as saying while campaigning in Vidarbha's Yavatmal for the Maharashtra assembly elections on October 21.

In a similar line of attack, he had claimed that after Bharat Petroleum, the Union government was planning to privatise other national assets such as ports, coal mines and public sector units. He also criticised the manner in which PM Modi had cut corporate tax amounting to Rs. 1.25 lakh crore in a single go while the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act's annual budget stagnated at a mere Rs. 35,000 crore.

He claimed that the BJP government's pro-rich policies had caused India's economy to dive. "When the poor person gets money, he starts purchasing. When the demand increases, manufacturing gets a boost," he said, before going on to add that the Congress-proposed NYAY minimum income scheme would have jump-started the economy.

The aggressive stance marks a return of sorts for Rahul Gandhi after he quit as Congress president earlier this year, following a crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, took over the position as an interim measure in the midst of largescale dissent and defections in the party.