Agra, Apr 15 (UNI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the public's hard-earned money was being spent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaigning.
Addressing a rally supporting Uttar Pradesh Congress president and party candidate from Fatehpur Sikri Raj Babbar, Mr Gandhi said that apart from television and radio, the roads were also filled with campaign material of Mr Modi.
Mr Gandhi said, "If you switch on the TV nowadays, you see Mr Modi. If one switches on the radio, one can hear Mr Modi canvassing for his party. Even the roads are filled with campaign material for Mr Modi.
"Lakhs of rupees are spent for a 30-second advertisement on the television. Nobody knows who gives the money used in the Prime Minister's campaigning. Mr Modi does not give it from his pocket.
'Have you ever thought where does the money for publicity worth crores of rupees comes from? Public money is taken away and given to industrialists like Ambani and Mehul Choksi," he alleged.
The Gandhi scion said that rather than the welfare of farmers and poor people, the BJP government is giving impetus to the industrialists.
Mr Gandhi also said that in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s tenure, farm loans were waived off in UP.
The Congress chief said that the promises made by the party in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections towards the farmers was kept by the Congress and within 10 days of forming the government in these states, the farmers' loans were waived off.
Launching a scathing attack at the BJP and Mr Modi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that BJP creates a farce of nationalism.
The Congress In-charge for Eastern UP said that during campaigning, BJP leaders portray the whole Opposition as anti-national. If they are really nationalists, they should stop insulting the freedom fighters, she added.
Ms Vadra said that today, the farmers were immersed in debts, potato farmers were in a bad condition, but the government does not have the time to pay attention towards them.
Be it students, farmers, teachers or any other section of the society, whoever made a demand for their rights, was thrashed. Cases were registered against them and they were termed 'anti-nationals,' he alleged.
UNI YK RJ 1846