‘Chowkidaar’ removed Alok Verma to save his ‘friends’ from Rafale probe, claims Rahul Gandhi

Rahul then reiterated his allegations in the Rafale deal, saying that planes built by the 70-year-old company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) helped India win 1965 and the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan and that the Congress-led UPA had given contract to HAL but the Modi government instead chose to hand it over to Anil Ambani, “who has never manufactured a single aeroplane.”

Imitating Modi, Rahul said, “He said to you, Mitron, mujhe pradhan mantra mat banao, mujhe chowkidaar banao (friends, don’t call me the Prime Minister but a watchman). And the watchman purchased Rs 526 crore aircraft for Rs 1,600 crore. The chowkidaar put Rs 30,000 crore in Anil Ambani’s pockets…(and) last night, the chowkidaar removed the CBI director, because CBI was raising questions on Rafale.”

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In a Tweet, Rahul said that the “PM’s message is very clear: whoever comes close to Rafale will be removed and erased” and that “nation and democracy are in danger.”

CBI चीफ आलोक वर्मा राफेल घोटाले के कागजात इकट्ठा कर रहे थे। उन्हें जबरदस्ती छुट्टी पर भेज दिया गया।

प्रधानमंत्री का मैसेज एकदम साफ है जो भी राफेल के इर्द गिर्द आएगा- हटा दिया जाएगा, मिटा दिया जाएगा।

देश और संविधान खतरे में हैं।

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 24, 2018

On farmer deaths in the region, also known as Hadauti, due to garlic prices, Rahul said, “In the last five years, not a single rupee (of farmers) has been waived by Modi ji or by your Chief Minister. And on the other hand, Rs 3.5 lakh crore of 15 biggest industrialists is written off. A farmer is termed as a defaulter while the bank lays down a red carpet for the industrialists.”

Taking on Raje in her home turf, Rahul said, “I want to ask farmers of Jhalawar and Rajasthan a question. You wake up at 4 am and work all day, your family works along with you. What is your fault? What do you lack? That government of India and Rajasthan government doesn’t waive your debts or give your fair price for garlic, or appropriate bonus, or MSP… In the last five years, have you seen a photo of Narendra Modi ji or Vasundhara Raje ji with farmers?”

While CM Raje is an MLA from Jhalawar’s Jhalrapatan, Jhalawar-Baran is the Lok Sabha constituency of her son Dushyant Singh.

Rahul alleged that while farmers continue to be ignored by the government, industrialists managed to rake up massive debts and managed to leave the country. “Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani…Vijay Mallya took away Rs 9,000 crore. And before going, he spoke to Arun Jaitley in Parliament…while MGNREGA was run with Rs 35,000 crore in the entire country.”

With people cheering him, Rahul said, “You are clapping but you’re in harm’s way. The money is being taken from your pockets. Nothing will happen by clapping, but by pressing the (EVM) button.”

He also asked whether the PM kept his promise of providing two crore jobs annually and whether Raje managed to provide 15 lakh jobs. “Vasundhara ji has shut down 25,000 schools and ended 50,000 posts in schools. Government employees have been protesting. You don’t get right to education here. Among 14 colleges in Jhalawar and Baran, only two have principals,” Rahul said.

“Modi ji said – and it is embarrassing – from the ramparts of Red Fort, that before he became the Prime Minister, the elephant was sleeping. That Indians were sleeping…I’m here only because I’m pained, because it is your strength, your toil, your sweat…but entire benefit goes to 15-20 industrialists,” Rahul said.

Claiming that he speaks up for the press too, Rahul said, “sometimes they write about me too, these days they are subdued…look they’re also laughing. Don’t be scared, just do your work.”

The address also marked BJP rebel Manvendra Singh’s first public appearance since he joined the Congress recently. Rahul, however, repeated his ‘parachute candidate’ comment, saying that he will cut the strings of parachute candidates from other parties and will listen to party workers in deciding candidates. After the Jhalawar rally, Rahul took out a nearly 90-kilometre long yatra to Kota, where he addressed another rally later in the day. The Congress chief is also scheduled to address a rally in Sikar on Thursday.