New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday addressed a public rally in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. This was the first visit of Gandhi after party's dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Here is what he said:

  1. Demonetisation move is against the poor, the farmers and the middle class.

  2. Notes ban has severely affected horticulture, agriculture and tourism.

  3. Taking a jibe at PM Modi once again, the Congress Vice-President alleged, "In Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, your government (BJP) has taken away lands of adivasis."

  4. "You have divided India into two parts. On one side are the 1 percent rich and on the other are the middle class and the poor."

  5. Rahul Gandhi further went on to say that "There are two kinds of people, the innocents and the corrupt. A currency note does not have a colour. Money becomes black when it lands in the hands of the corrupt."

  6. Stating the demonetisation process a move in vain, Rahul Gandhi stated that only 6 percent of the black money in the country is in cash. Rest of the 94 percent is in the form of real estate or lies in foreign banks. "The one's who stash huge sum of black money don't do it only in cash but in real estates, jewellery etc."

  7. Rahul Gandhi questioned PM Modi to why he didn't put forward the list sent by Swiss Bank in the Parliament.

  8. Accusing the BJP of favouring the rich once again, Gandhi said, "People in Delhi that were standing in queues were fed a Rs 3 ladoo by BJP. While Vijay Mallya was treated with a Rs 1200 crore laddoo."

  9. Repeating himself, Rahul Gandhi said that demonetisation is firebombing on the poor. He even said that, "I am questioning you. You want to make fun of me, go on but do answer my questions."

  10. Accusing BJP of affecting tourism in hill stations, Rahul Gandhi said "You broke the spine of places like Shimla and Dharamshala."


More details:

While addressing a rally in Almora on Friday, Gandhi escalated his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that demonetisation is economic robbery.

"The Congress Party wants to obliterate corruption from India. The Congress will support any step against corruption. But notes ban wasn't against black money or corruption, it was economic robbery," Gandhi said.

He also used the occasion to reach out to the farmers and labourers.

"Prime Minister Modi hasn't listened to the farmers, but he has forgiven Rs 1.40 lakh crore in loans to 15 rich people but not farmers," said Gandhi.

Gandhi alleged that the 'suit boot ki Sarkar' was in its bid to help its "rich friends" snatching the rights of the poor.

"Under NDA, one per cent of Indians have 60 per cent of the wealth. 99 per cent Indians don't have black money. 94 per cent of the black money is in Swiss Bank accounts, gold and land. Just six per cent of black money is in cash. I don't know why Prime Minister Modi has made this six per cent black money his target, not the 94 per cent," said Gandhi.

(With inputs from ANI)