New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Karnataka’s Vijayapura and Ballari, terming the BJP as the ‘Bharatiya Chombu Party’. The term "Chombu" in Kannada refers to a round water pot, often used to imply emptiness and deceit.
Characterising the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as unprecedented, Gandhi accused the BJP of trying to undermine the Constitution and democracy.
“It is not an election that used to happen earlier because for the first time in the history of India, a party and a person want to destroy the Constitution and democracy. I will tell you what the BJP is going to do. It's Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Chombu Party which is like an empty pot. For every Rs 100 it (Karnataka) gives to the country (as GST), it gets only Rs 13 in return (under tax devolution),” he said.
Addressing the election rallies, Gandhi mocked PM Modi's recent attacks on the Congress, suggesting that the Prime Minister appeared scared and may even resort to shedding tears on stage. PM Modi had targeted the Congress on various issues including "mangalsutra", "redistribution of wealth", and "inheritance tax".
"You have heard the prime minister’s speeches. He is scared. It’s possible that he may shed tears on stage," Gandhi said.
Gandhi accused PM Modi of trying to divert public attention by raising issues like China and Pakistan or by orchestrating events like clapping or shining mobile phone torches. He asserted that the real issues facing India are poverty, unemployment, and inflation, and claimed that only the Congress could effectively address these challenges.
"Sometimes he talks about China and Pakistan, and sometimes he will make you beat plates and ask you to switch on the torch light of your mobile phones,” Gandhi said.
Highlighting economic disparities under PM Modi's rule, Gandhi criticised the concentration of wealth among a few billionaires while the majority of the population struggles. He pledged that the Congress would redistribute wealth to benefit the poor and marginalised communities.
"Modi has only snatched money from poor people. He has made some billionaires. There are 22 people who have wealth equivalent to the 70 crore people of the country. Just one per cent people are controlling 40 per cent of the wealth of the nation. I will just tell you a clear thing in a simple one line. The wealth Modi has given to those billionaires, the same money we are going to give to the poor people of the country,” he said.
Promising to revoke the controversial ‘Agniveer’ scheme, which offers a three-year service in the armed forces to youth aged 18 to 21, Gandhi described it as an insult to the Indian Army and soldiers. He accused PM Modi of snatching job opportunities from Indian youth and pledged to repeal the scheme if Congress comes to power.
"Narendra Modi snatched the Army jobs from the youth of India. He brought the Agniveer scheme, which is an insult to the Indian Army and soldiers. We will scrap it," Gandhi said.
He also criticised PM Modi's implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), describing it as burdensome due to the introduction of five different tax categories. He promised to reform the GST to rectify the injustices faced by the people of Karnataka.