Kolkata : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday raised questions over the “friendship” between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, joining him in the visit to Bangladesh.
“When our (UPA) government was there, our PM wanted to go to Bangladesh. We spoke to her (Banerjee) and requested her to go with us. She said no, ‘ekla chalo re’ (will go alone). “Now, Modiji is there, so no ‘ekla chalo re’. We will go together. Why is this happening? What is the friendship about? You must be knowing the reason,” he told his party workers here.
Rahul also directed his fire on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of hopping from scheme to scheme and the focus on the yoga event later this month and “failure” to fulfil promises like job creation.
He repeated his jibe of “suit boot ki sarkar” to paint the NDA government as pro-rich and anti-poor and anti farmer. The Congress Vice President also slammed the NDA government over the land bill issue while referring to the agrarian and tribal agitations in Nandigram, Bhatta Parsaul and Niyamgri.
“One year ago a new government came in Delhi. It made a lot of promises like the ones made by Mamataji. It talked about employment, development, opening factories. Both (Modi and Mamata) said this. One year (of Modi government) has been completed now. Wherever I go to any meeting, I ask people to say whether even one person has got a job. But nobody raises his hand to say he got a job.
“He talked about sanitation. He said that you won’t get employment and so hold a broom and start sweeping. When the talk of Swachchata is over, now he is saying that go and do yoga at the Rajpath. There is no word about employment. Every day something new is said. All these new things are being said to cover up the unfulfilled promises,” Gandhi said addressing Congress workers here.
He also attacked the Modi government over the ‘One Rank One Pension’ issue. “Money was given for the OROP for the ex-jawans of the Army during the UPA regime. Before the (Lok Sabha) elections, Modiji went to Punjab, Haryana, everywhere and promised that he will implement it within one year if his government came to power. Now the armymen are crying. They are holding agitation and demanding that a date should be given for implementing it. “But Modi is saying ask us later as we are doing Yoga,” the Congress Vice President said.
