Rahul Gandhi slams Modi, GST, industrialists in Gujarat: Top 10 highlights

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, on a three-day visit to Gujarat, began the third leg of his 'Navsarjan Yatra' from Jambusar today

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat and also dismissing the World Bank rankings on Ease of Doing Business. Addressing a rally in Bharuch's Jambusar, Gandhi criticised the government's handling of the economy and said that there is no ease of doing business in India as demonetisation and GST have destroyed the economy.

Top 10 highlights

1. Tata Nano project

Rahul Gandhi accused Narendra Modi of extending a huge loan for the Tata Nano project at a low-interest rate. He said all the loans of farmers in Gujarat can be waived off with the same amount.

"The amount of loan he (Modi) extended to Tata Nano project, it would have erased all your loans. Have you seen a Nano car on a road? He gave your land, water to them… this is the development model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

2. Rahul mocks Modi's 'Gujarat model'

Rahul Gandhi said, "If you want to go to a hospital in Gujarat, make sure you have lakhs of rupees in your pocket or else you'll be thrown out." He alleged that "Modi’s industrialists" are running all the hospitals and educational institutions in Gujarat and small businesses are suffering.

Rahul said, "Gujarat model hai bhaiya , Gujarat model. If you don’t have money, then work doesn’t get done here."

3. Modi's 'black money promise'

On PM Modi’s promise to unearth black money in Swiss bank accounts, Rahul Gandhi said: “Modiji doesn’t understand that all money is not black money; black money is that, which is buried underground. It’s been 3 years since Modi government; how many Swiss bank account holders are behind bars? Modi spoke of Swiss bank accounts and black money, what did he do to bring it back? Look at Vijay Mallya, he’s enjoying himself in London. What did Modiji do?”

4. Rahul: Ease of doing business ruined due to note ban, GST

A day after India jumped 30 places in the World Bank’s global list on “ease of doing business”, Rahul Gandhi said Union Minister Arun Jaitley put the same question to a small shop owner.

"Jaitley sits in his office and believes a foreign company talking of "ease of business". Did Jaitley ji go to a small shop owner and ask what is the “ease of doing business. For this government, what is spoken abroad is truth, but reality of India is false,” he said.

5. Rahul Gandhi shows optimism on Congress victory

Rahul Gandhi said the next government in Gujarat will be a government of farmers, poor, traders, and not of “Modi’s industrialists”.

“BJP is going to get a current (shock) in the upcoming polls in Gujarat; people have understood the truth. The next govt of Gujarat will be of farmers, poor, traders, not of Modiji’s industrialists,” he said.

6. Centre and state of promoting crony capitalism

Rahul Gandhi said while small farmers, traders and businessmen were suffering hardships "five or 10 big industrialists were reaping benefits".

"These five or 10 big industrialists, I will not name anyone, are ruling in every sector. Be it health, education, power, water, manufacturing," he said.

7. Rahul Gandhi on failure of job-creating flagship scheme

Gandhi lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said his 'Make in India' manufacturing and job-creating flagship scheme was a total failure.

"Let me give you some figures. India and China house almost the same number of people. But China creates 50,000 jobs every year. In India, we create only 450.

"Modiji speaks about 'Make in India'. He promised everything will be made in India. But today, three million Gujaratis are jobless," he said.

8. Rahul Gandhi's famous Gabbar Singh Tax jibe

Rahul said, "We warned the government don't implement GST hastily. Do it easily, slowly, kindly. They didn't listen to us. We told them it was not the Congress vs BJP. It is a matter that concerns the nation, the economy."

He again called GST "Gabbar Singh Tax", in a refrain that earnings of the poor were being snatched like the dacoit in the 1975 cult movie "Sholay" used to collect from poor villagers and farmers. "I have named it Gabbar Singh Tax. Poor people work hard and their earning are snatched away."

9. Rahul Gandhi Twitter

Earlier in the day, Gandhi had put a tweet in Hindi, taking off from a famous Ghalib verse to say that Jaitley was deluding himself.

"Sabko maloom hai 'ease of doing business' ki haqeeqat, lekin khud ko khush rakhne ke liye 'Dr Jaitley' ye khayal achha hai (everybody knows the reality of ease of doing business, but this thought is good Dr Jaitley to keep yourself happy)."

10. Rahul Gandhi's three-day visit to Gujarat

Rahul Gandhi is on a three-day visit to Gujarat, his first after the Election Commission announced the dates for the upcoming assembly elections. He began the third leg of his ‘Navsarjan Yatra’ from Jambusar today. Later in the day, Rahul is will address a public rally in Bharuch district, which is strategically important given the discontent among Patels with BJP and problems faced by traders owing to demonetisation and implementation of the GST regime. Rahul's Bharuch rally will be attended by farmers affected by land acquisition.