Anti-corruption measures, poll promises on farmers and MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) wages, reservation and protecting the Constitution were among the highlights of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speech in Daman on Sunday as he upped the ante against the ruling BJP. Sharing the stage with Congress's Daman and Diu candidate Ketan Patel, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli candidate Ajit Mahala, Rahul Gandhi claimed that his party would kick out administrator Praful Patel once elected to power in Delhi. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accusing Praful Patel of corruption, he said, "Narendra Modi has put Praful Patel not as (an) administrator. but the king of your area. He has been given a free hand to do anything he wishes like harassing people, and also demolition of houses. You think that this is happening here, but it is happening in the entire country. You have to protect your history and your culture and not Praful Patel." “After we form the government in Delhi, we will kick out Praful Patel from here and we will tighten the noose around him for his corrupt activities," he further claimed. The Congress leader's comments came at the public meeting in Daman soon after he wrapped up his Odisha visit. His remarks came a day after his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a poll gathering in Valsad in a first where she accused PM Modi of being "the first PM who lies". In Gujarat, the Congress is trying hard to stop the ruling BJP, which had won all 26 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, from registering a hat trick. In his speech Sunday, Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the BJP poses a threat to the country's diversity. “India has different languages, culture and history, which is our country’s unique characteristic. Today, the battle in India is between two ideologies – one who wants to protect history, culture and language, while others (BJP and RSS) are against it and they want ‘one nation, one language and one leader’”. Claiming that his party wants to "protect the Constitution", he said, “Constitution is the foundation of the country. We want to protect the Constitution and they (the BJP and the RSS) want to finish the Constitution and democracy — the right to equality, right to vote and democracy, reservation to crores of people, including tribals and Dalits." In yet another attack on the BJP over "favouring billionaires”, Rahul Gandhi alleged, "Modi has waived loans of Rs 16 lakh crore of 20 to 22 arabpatis and have not waived loan of farmers. After the Congress forms the government in the Centre, "we will waive off the farmers loan, and we will also make law for minimum support price to agricultural produce," Rahul Gandhi said, reiterating the poll promises. “We will restart diesel subsidies for fishermen, fishing boat insurance, inland fishing and aquaculture will be treated as farming. We will increase MNREGA wages from Rs 250 to Rs 400," he said.
