“Modiji said that he does not want to become the Prime Minister, but a chowkidar of the country… Chowkidar ke saamne chori hui hai (The theft has taken place in front of the watchman). Was he a watchman or a partner in the crime?” said Rahul Gandhi. “Modiji said that he does not want to become the Prime Minister, but a chowkidar of the country… Chowkidar ke saamne chori hui hai (The theft has taken place in front of the watchman). Was he a watchman or a partner in the crime?” said Rahul Gandhi.

For the second consecutive day, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi raked up the controversy surrounding BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah following a news report to hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“In 2001, when Modiji took over as the chief minister of Gujarat, the state’s outstanding loan amount was Rs 6,000 crores. Today, it is Rs 2 lakh crore. The question is, who benefited from this loan? …Only one out of eight businesses have succeeded… Do you know whose business succeeded? Amit Shah’s son’s,” Rahul told the crowds who had thronged the streets to listen to him in Karjan.

Referring to PM Modi as chowkidar (watchman), Rahul said, “The (Jay Shah’s) company was provided unsecured loan by the ministry of Piyush Goyal… Before the 2014 (Lok Sabha) elections, Modiji said that he does not want to become the Prime Minister, but a chowkidar of the country… Chowkidar ke saamne chori hui hai (The theft has taken place in front of the watchman). Was he a watchman or a partner in the crime?… First they started a programme called ‘Beti Bachao’, now their new programme is ‘Amit Shah ke bete ko bachao’,” Rahul said.

Rahul also interacted with about 200 ASHA workers in Dabhoi taluka of Vadodara who have been demanding fixed wage and retirement benefits. He assured them that if Congress returns to power, it will meet their demand in six months. He then made a quick stop at the Pansoli Narmada Vasahat in Dabhoi, a colony of rehabilitated Narmada affected families, some of whom have been protesting with a relay hunger fast against the state government since July 2016. Earlier in the day, he paid tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar at Sankalp Bhoomi in vadodara, the spot from where Babasaheb took pledge to fight against untouchability in 1917.

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