'Bharat Mata' has overtaken the centrestage amidst allegations and counter-allegations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the ensuing assembly elections in Rajasthan.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi in two consecutive election rallies in the state on Tuesday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that he only says 'Bharat Mata ki jai' but works only for businessman Anil Ambani and not for the poor, farmers and labour class who are the real 'Bharat Mata'.
Addressing a public rally in Alwar district, Gandhi said: "Narendra Modi should no longer say 'Bharat Mata ki jai'. Instead, he should say 'Anil Ambani ki jai, Nirav Modi ki jai'." Taking a further jibe at the Prime Minister, he said, "If you talk of Bharat Mata then how can you forget about our farmers?"
Gandhi scion in another rally said, "I asked the Prime Minister that you say 'Bharat Mata ki jai' but do work only for Anil Ambani. Why don't you work for Bharat Mata?"
The Gandhi scion's response came hours after Prime Minister Modi in Sikar teared into the Congress saying that Congress has come up with a 'fatwa' against him underlining that he should not begin rallies with 'Bharat Mata ki jai". Throwing the ball in the Congress court, Prime Minister Modi said: "How can they deny this? They must be ashamed of even saying such a thing. This shows their disrespect for our motherland," said Modi.
In the battle of words and promises, Rahul Gandhi while promising to waive off loans of farmers within 10 days if his party comes to power, said that Prime Minister Modi has not waived off the loans of farmers but only waived off Rs 3.5 lakh crore of only 15 people. "I went to the Prime Minister Office and said that I don't know why he waived off loans of his friends; but there is another voice of Bharat Mata and that voice is of farmers, their loan must also be waived off."
More From This Section
With no holds barred, the Congress president said: "Farmers have been given Rs 45,000 crore for crop insurance. Of this, Rs 16,000 crore has been pocketed by Anil Ambani. These crop insurance was not for the farmers but to benefit Ambani."
In his attempt to reach out to maximum number of voters, the Congress president said: "Modi ji has ignored commonman's issues by lying to them. However, people of Rajasthan know better to stay from these lies.