PM working for billionaire friends; Hemant Soren’s arrest boomeranged: Priyanka Gandhi

GODDA (JHARKHAND): Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi today said the arrest of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has boomeranged on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She alleged that PM Modi is working for his billionaire friends while intimidating his political opponents.

Addressing a largely attended public rally here today, the Congress general secretary alleged that the BJP wanted to change the constitution and weaken democracy. She said the party had already weakened different democratic institutions in the country during the last ten years.

Gandhi alleged that during the last ten years, the BJP government had weakened democracy and attacked democratic institutions. She alleged that their purpose was to change the constitution and deny people various rights granted by the constitution including the reservations.

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of intimidating his political opponents, she pointed out how the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had been jailed just ahead of elections. She said his wife Kalpana Soren was fighting courageously like a brave woman.

Besides, she added, the decision to arrest Soren had boomeranged on Modi as the tribal community had united behind Soren and emerged stronger.

Alleging corruption through electoral bonds, she pointed out that the BJP even took donations from a vaccine manufacturing company, whose vacancies were now found to be causing health issues for the people. She pointed out, how the young were dying all of a sudden because of heart attacks.

Gandhi alleged that the BJP government and Modi were framing policies to benefit their billionaire friends. She said, that while it did not waive off a single penny of farmers, who were committing suicide for their inability to repay small loans worth a few thousand rupees, the Modi government waived off Rs 16 lakh crores of 22 billionaires.

Besides, she added, the BJP government had handed over all the assets of the nation to Adani like the ports, airports, and infrastructure.

She warned that the BJP will also hand over the resources of the tribals like the ‘jal, jungle aur zameen” (water, forests, and land) to Adani. She pointed out, Adani had set up a power plant here but people were not getting any electricity here as it was sold elsewhere.

Gandhi referred to some of the pressing problems being faced by the country like unemployment which was the highest in the last 45 years with 70 crore people being unemployed. She also referred to skyrocketing prices of the essential commodities which have gone beyond the reach of the common man.

She also recalled how much fondness and affection her grandmother Indira Gandhi had for the tribal community. She said, the late Prime Minister always valued the gifts they presented to her and she had preserved them and they were still lying preserved in the museum.

The Congress general secretary referred to various guarantees aimed at public welfare promised in the party manifesto.