Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi meeting supporters during his visit to Jamnagar in Gujarat on Tuesday. PTI Photo Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi meeting supporters during his visit to Jamnagar in Gujarat on Tuesday. PTI Photo

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the Statue of Unity, the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the PM was promoting Make in India but had given the work of building the statue to China. On the second day of his three-day Saurashtra tour, the Congress leader said it is a matter of shame that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statue too is being cast in China.

“NDA government gives employment to only one lakh persons per year in the country… Our competition is with China. Whatever you buy from shops, be it watch, camera, shirt, pants–‘Made in China’ will be written on back of them all. Sardar Patel’s statue is being built. But that too is being cast in China and ‘Made in China’ will be inscribed there at its back. This is a matter of shame,” Modi said while addressing a gathering in Dhrol town of Jamnagar along his Navsarajan Yatra route.

Rahul said the Indian government provides employment to only 400 youths out of the 30,000 being added to working-age population of the country every day. On the other hand, China gives employment to 40,000 such youths every day, he said.

Addressing the Patidars present in the gathering, Rahul said if the Congress came to power in the state, the government will take everybody along and take Gujarat forward. “I want tell Patidars who are standing here. BJP has fired on your community members and subjected them to atrocities. But this is not the way of Congress. We work in an environment of love and fraternity. We take everybody along. It is our promise that we shall take everybody along and take Gujarat forward,” he said.

While Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki told the largely Patidar crowd that it was time to ‘take revenge for atrocities Patidars have been subjected during quota stir’, Rahul asked them to show a new way to the country via Gujarat. “You gave Sardar Patel to country. Gujarat gave Sardar Patel to country. (Now), you have to show a way to entire country. Only Gujarat, and no other state can do it,” said Rahul, even as he indirectly exhorted Patidars to vote for the Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections.

“Governments in Gujarat and India have forgotten farmers… Whatever promises Modi gives to his industrialist friends, he fulfills them immediately. He gives him land, water electricity etc. But he doesn’t honour promises made to farmers, small businessmen, youths, labourers etc of Gujarat and India,” said Rahul.

He said if Congress comes to power, the government will strengthen cooperatives and help small businesses. “Modi’s Gujarat model is a failure. There is need to reintroduce the old Amul model, which takes everybody along. Congress will form government here, we shall take everybody on board and Gujarat will show the way to the entire country one more time,” added the Congress vice-president.

Addressing a gathering in Otala village of Tankara taluka in Morbi, Rahul raked up issues of employment and farm produce prices. “There are 30 lakh unemployed youth in Gujarat. PM talks about Make in India and there are 30 lakh unemployed youth in Gujarat. What price do you realise for your groundnut? Rs600? What price had Modi promised? Wasn’t it 1200? And what do you get for cotton? Rs 700? And what had Modi promised? (crowd responds Rs 1500). Did everyone get a home? When do you get electricity, at the night or in morning? For the last 22 years there is talk of Narmada water. Did you get it? Modi told so many lies that vikas hi pagal ho gaya (development itself went mad),” he said.

He alleged that Gujarat was currently controlled from New Delhi and that it worked for a handful of big business houses. “Most importantly, the government in Gujarat must be run from Gujarat and not from Delhi via remote-control… These days, government in Gujarat works for five-ten industrialists. Your land, water, electricity is given to them. This is Gujarat model of the BJP,” Rahul said adding that big businesses are needed but the country cannot progress by promoting them only.

He promised the villagers that Congress will provide a government that is run from Gujarat and which works for farmers, small businessmen, youth, labourers, the poor etc. Rahul also claimed Congress was the common thread binding great leaders. While addressing a public meeting on the compound of Uma ginning factory, Rahul said, “There was convergence in ideas of (Mahatma) Gandhiji, (Jawaharlal), Sardar Patel and (BR) Ambedkar but there were differences also. Congress synthesised ideas of these four and showed the way to the country. Our job is to bind together. We listen to everyone and take country on the way you wish. But BJP people don’t listen to people. They have decided that they know everything. That they are fountainhead of knowledge and only work they have to do is amplify their voice and tell people about their ideology.”

He also raked up the recent violence at the Banaras Hindu University campus saying women were beaten up on the varsity’s campus but PM will only tell his ‘mann ki baat’. “You know what you require but BJP will never ask you what you want. And when you rise to demand your right, they will shoot you. Policemen will beat up women in your homes. Instead of listening to you, they will beat you up. A few days ago, women were beaten up by police on BHU campus. Whoever raises questions, be he farmer, Dalit, tribal, Patidar is beaten up. But the PM will tell only his maan ki baat (thoughts in his mind),” he said.

In the same vein, he said the BJP didn’t listen to anybody on demonitisation and GST and therefore economy of the country took severe hit. “We had proposed only single rate of tax under GST but they kept five. One shopkeeper told me that he is selling dry fruits but there are different tax rates for pista, almonds and cashew nuts are different and that he was unable to comprehend what rates he should charge (his customers). In packets, all three are mixed. What should he do?” Rahul asked mockingly.

He suggested BJP could learn from Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. “Country suffered heavy losses as they (BJP) are not willing to listen. Gandhi and Sardar Patel spent their entire lives listening to people and that’s why they were leaders of Congress. And these people didn’t order to fire on anybody in the society. There never arose such a need as they used to listen to people,” said Rahul.

He said that Gujarat had shown in the past how the issue of unemployment can be tackled. “Wherever Modi goes, he promotes Make in India. But whenever you walk into a shop, it’s all Made in China,” Rahul said adding that helping small businesses will generate employment. “And you have proven that you can do it. On milk bags, there is Made in India and not Made in China. We shall help you promote this model which can stand competition from China,” he said.

Rahul also claimed credit for IITs and IIMs. “A few days ago, Sushma Swaraj talked about IITs and IIMs. I was quite happy. Earlier, Modi used to question what happened in 70 years. Now, his minister has said that the idea of IITs and IIMs was idea of the Congress party,” he said.

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