BENGALURU: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has exuded confidence about the party’s win in Karnataka and said that there’s a strong undercurrent in favour of the grand old party in the poll-bound State.
Addressing a gathering in Bengaluru on Sunday evening, he said, “We will be facing elections in Karnataka and I am quite happy to know that there’s a strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress party. I am confident that the Congress party is going to win the elections”.
Launching a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, he said, “Most of us are aware of what the BJP is doing in the nation in terms of hatred, violence and the attacks on institutions. These are things that are visible to everybody. The essence and nature of our country are being attacked, and it is our duty as Congress people, as people who have helped build the modern idea of India to defend the idea of India from the RSS and the BJP”.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP-led Centre for not providing due representation to the OBCs in government jobs. He was addressing a gathering in Kolar, where he made a remark on the Modi surname in 2019 for which he has been convicted of criminal defamation, followed by his disqualification as MP.
Pointing to the indifference being meted out to the OBCs which are present in larger number but their representation in government jobs were less, he said, “Reservation for SC/STs should be proportional to their population. (The Union government) should lift 50 per cent cap in reservation”, he added.
In reply to BJP’s allegations that he insulted the OBC community with Modi surname remark, the Congress leader said that the representation of OBC, and Dalits in the central government is not in line with their population. “There are only 7 per cent of people in the government’s secretaries coming from OBC, Dalit and Adivasi communities”, Gandhi said.
The Congress leader also demanded that the Union government release the caste census report commissioned by his party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2011. “Only 7 per cent of secretaries in central government offices are from OBC and SC/ST communities. Modiji, you talk about (the welfare of) OBCs. Let us know what their share is in the population. If you don’t do this, it is an insult to OBC communities”, he said.
Rahul Gandhi launched a series of attacks against the Centre on Sunday and annouced a slew of poll promises of Congress in the State. “If the Congress party is voted to power in Karnataka, then we will provide 200 units of free electricity to every family, Rs 2,000 every month to women, a total of 10 kg rice per month to every family, Rs 3,000 to every graduate till two years and Rs 1,500 monthly to diploma holders”, Rahul Gandhi said.
“If you (PM Modi) can give thousands of crores of rupees to Adani, then we can give the money to poor, women, and youths. You helped Adani wholeheartedly, and we will wholeheartedly help the people of the state”, he said. “Aap apna kaam karo, hum apna kaam kkarenge (You do your work and we will do ours)”, he said while urging people to vote for Congress.
He further sharpened his attacks on the ruling BJP in the state and alleged that the party took 40 per cent commission. Alleging that the BJP government in Karnataka is “immersed in corruption”, he said, “When I tabled these issues and the Adani matter in the Parliament and questioned PM Modi, my mic was switched off.”
“…Later I asked who owns the Rs 20,000 crore in Adani shell companies? It is ‘benami’. Who owns it,” he said, adding that in response to that, for the first time in history, the government did not allow the Parliament to function.
He said until he gets an answer to his questions, he will not stop asking. “Disqualify me, put me in jail, do anything, doesn’t matter,” Gandhi added. (ANI)