Rahul Gandhi’s latest Gujarat war cry: Jai Sardar, Jai Patidar

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tried to reach out to the Patidar community in Surat’s Varachha, during the last public address of his three-day tour on Friday. Gandhi began his speech raising slogans ‘Jai Sardar’ ‘Jai Patidar’ and ‘Jai Bhavani’.

He said reality and claims of BJP were different and the poll battle in Gujarat this time was based on this.

Gandhi said that while the UPA government allotted Rs 35,000 crore for MNREGA, the Narendra Modi government had allocated Rs 33,000 crore for the Nano car project.

“You gave everything and wanted employment, education for your children, treatment for your ailments.

Did you get them? You have to give Rs 10-15 lakh before you cross the doors of an institution, similar is the state of health facilities. This is what the BJP has done in these years. It has taken everything from you and used it for the benefit of around 15 business houses,” Gandhi alleged.

“The small and mid-sized businessmen of Surat are the only ones who can challenge the China story,” Gandhi said adding that demonetisation and ‘badly’ implemented GST was an attack on the people.

“Demonetisation was done to capture black money. Narendra Modiji did not understand that black money is not in cash, but in real estate, Swiss bank accounts. If Modiji had attacked black money, why is Vijay Mallya in London? Why were there no suited-booted guy in the lines before banks?” Gandhi asked “GST was Congress’s idea, Gandhi said.

“We had said highest slab in GST should not be more than 18%. We were told ‘we run the government, you are in opposition; you don’t have to tell us what to do’,” he added. “GST was implemented without testing. Surat was loser, small and businessmen were the sufferers. The idea was to take your money,” he added.