While Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted Rahul Gandhi for visiting Somnath temple, and some BJP leaders pointed out that he had ostensibly signed in the non-Hindu visitors’ book at the temple, which his party denied, the Congress vice-president on Wednesday kept up his attack on what he alleges is the Prime Minister’s proximity to “certain industrialists”. Promising to waive farmers’ debt within 10 days if the Congress forms the government in Gujarat, Rahul said at a rally here, “Modiji has written off loans worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore for industrialists. But his finance minister says waiving farm loan is a bad policy.” Interacting with the crowd, Rahul asked, “How do you see Modiji’s speeches? Do you see any change? The flavour has changed a bit.” As the crowd responded in chorus “Feku, Feku, Feku (fibber)”, he added, “There is tension in his speeches now — ghabrahat hai (there’s anxiety).” He said, “Modiji har paanch-das din mein mann ki baat suna rahein hain. Modiji ne pichhle 22 saalon mein kisano ki baat ki hai kya? Unhoney kaha kisano ko sahi daam milega. Mila kya? (Modiji brings up his Mann ki Baat every 5-10 days. Has he talked about farmers in the last 22 years? He spoke about giving good minimum support price for farmers. Did he give?)” No, came the response. Also read | After Congress barb, PM Narendra Modi hits back — Grand Stupid Thought Calling the Prime Minister “khokla” (shallow), Rahul said, “Modiji emotional ho jaatey hain, aansu bahatey hain. Abhi ek-do din mein bahayenge. Ho sakta hai na bhi bahayein, kyunki maine ye kah diya. Khokhle hain.. Modiji Amitabh Bachchan se bhi badey abhineta hain — Amitabh toh contact lens laga ke rotey hain, Modi-ji ko is lens ki bhi zaroorat nahin hai (Modi becomes emotional, sheds tears. He will do that in a day or two. But then again, he may not, as I am pointing it out. He is shallow.. Modi is a better actor than Amitabh Bachchan — he doesn’t need contact lens to weep).” He also said, “Modiji keeps saying ‘vikas, vikas’ (development). I think it’s a code name for his industrialist friends.” On the issue of land acquisition in Gujarat, the Amethi MP alleged, “Prime Minister Modi sold 45,000 acres of farmland at Mundra (in Kutch) for cheap to an industrialist. But this industrialist sold the tracts back to government agencies at a much higher rate.” He reiterated that demonetisation and GST destroyed businesses and employment. “But in that storm, one firm of Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah rose.(its turnover increased) from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in just three months.” Rahul also targeted Modi for the Rafale fight jet deal and the delay in holding winter session of Parliament. Giving voice to what many people here are saying, Ishwar Parmar, 61, a retired government employee at the rally, said, “Savarkundla has Patidar voters who can change the equation. This time it seems the Congress will win, as farmers are quite angry with the BJP government due to the low support price.” But it may not be as simple, he added: “People are also a little scared of the Congress due to its (past) policies. I remember a lot of people turned against them in 2014 due to a law they were about to bring for Christians and Muslims facing atrocities.”
