Budge Budge: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying they had not taken any action against corruption and made "false promises".
"Poor people's money was swindled by Saradha chit fund company, but Mamata ji has not taken any action. Rather, she protected those involved in it," he told an election meeting here.
Referring to Narada sting operation against Trinamool Congess leaders, Gandhi said, "The chief minister of a state has seen this corrupt practice on television but has not taken any action against her partymen".
He said, "Modiji also promised that he will fight corruption and take action against black money. Modiji became Prime Minister but what happened? His government has brought 'fair and lovely scheme' in which any thief or terrorist can make his black money white by paying a little bit of tax."
The Prime Minister is talking about fighting corruption, but how did Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya flee the country? He asked, adding "there was corruption in Gujarat involving thousands of crore of rupees".
The Congress vice-president said both Mamata and Modi had made "false promises".
"Five years back Mamata ji had promised to give employment to 70 lakh youths. Congress had believed it and supported her. But the youths did not get employment. Jute workers lost their jobs," he said.
"Like her, Modiji also promised to provide jobs to two crore people but none got employment," he said and asked the crowd whether there was anyone who was given employment by Mamata or Modi.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also launched a frontal attack against Modi and Mamata during her campaign yesterday, saying they were a "threat" to democracy and pluralism, and both of them have the "habit" of blaming previous regimes for things not done.
Referring to the Kamduni rape incident, Gandhi slammed the TMC government on the issue of women's security and said that women in the state were afraid of going out of their homes.
"When some women raised protest in Kamduni, the chief minister dubbed them as Maoists instead of giving them protection," he observed.
He alleged that TMC goons did not even spare a three-and-a-half-year-old child all because her grandfather was a supporter of a different political party.
The Congress vice-president said that as per indications available at the end of the four phases of elections, the Congress-Left combine was winning.
"Haturi hath me aa gaya (hammer has come to the hand). Now TMC will be removed. Congress-Left alliance will bring back the glory of Bengal," he said.
