PM Modi lacks courage to speak about poll promises he made in 2014: Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacks courage to speak even a word about the poll promises, including on jobs, that he had made in 2014 and said a strong leader should be able to apologise for failing to keep his word.

Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacks courage to speak even a word about the poll promises, including on jobs, that he had made in 2014 and said a strong leader should be able to apologise for failing to keep his word. Addressing an election meeting here, Gandhi repeated the claim that six surgical strikes were conducted during the tenure of the UPA and said his party never used it for political benefit. He said the prime minister must tell as to how the youngsters will be given employment after 2019. "Modi is unable to speak even a word about his earlier promises. "If Modi had the guts, then he would have said that I had spoken about giving two crore jobs every year in a rush of blood but I have made a mistake. But, this man lacks courage.... "A strong leader is the one who accepts the truth. A strong leader is the one who would tender an apology for failing to provide two crore jobs to youngsters and Rs 15 lakh, and then talk about rectification (of the mistake)," Gandhi told voters in the constituency from where the BJP has fielded Maneka Gandhi, the estranged sister-in-law of Congress Sonia Gandhi. The Congress has given ticket to Sanjay Singh, while the BSP has nominated Chandrabhadra Singh. Gandhi said the entire country has understood that the "chowkidaar is doing chowkidaari of Ambani, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi. This chowkidaar has spoken lies before the country." "The lion-like Congress workers have burst Modi's balloon which was inflated by the media," he said. A day after Modi mocked the Congress saying the party, which first ignored the surgical strikes carried out under his government across the Line of Control and then opposed them, was now crying me too, me too, Gandhi reiterated his party's stand. "There were six surgical strikes during the tenure of the UPA. The Congress never used it for political purpose and neither wants to say anything now. It gives the credit for this to the Army, and not to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress president also said that "India's ideology is influenced by love. Nothing can be derived from hatred. But, the BJP people speak about violence."