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Campaigning in the New Delhi constituency for Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit, who is taking on Kejriwal, the Wayanad MP said AAP came to power by levelling false allegations against former chief minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi (X)
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday stepped up her attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, saying they were both alike and came to power on the basis of “lies”.
In an apparent jibe at Modi and Kejriwal, she said while one was busy handing over the country to “Adani-Ambani”, the other was busy building ’mahals (palaces)’.
Referring to the announcement that individuals earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually would not have to pay any Income Tax under the new regime, she said someone should ask the government how many people were capable of paying taxes and how many people were able to earn Rs 12 lakh a year.
“The truth is that only seven crore people pay tax in the country… 135 crore people are not able to pay taxes because they are not able to earn that much,” she said.
Campaigning in the New Delhi constituency for Congress candidate Sandeep Dikshit, who is taking on Kejriwal, the Wayanad MP said AAP came to power by levelling false allegations against former chief minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit.
With Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep on the dias, Priyanka Gandhi listed the development works carried out by the former chief minister, and accused AAP of tarnishing her image by using people’s anger to its benefit.
“It was all lies and and, on these lies, AAP rose because you were angry. After 10 years (in power), anger is natural but it (AAP) directed your anger at Sheila Dikshit by accusing her of corruption and talked about bringing in an honest government, a new kind of politics. What did it bring in — ’sheesh mahal’,” the Congress general secretary said.
“AAP will be spending almost the same amount of money on its propaganda that the BJP spends. It wants its image to be maintained, its propaganda must go on and the people of Delhi keep struggling,” she said.
Both Modi and Kejriwal are alike and they came to power on the basis of lies, she alleged.
“The lies were that ’we are honest, we will protect you and will ensure people’s progress’. But they ensured their own progress. One is handing over the country to Adani-Ambani and the other is building ’mahals’,” she said in an apparent swipe at Modi and Kejriwal.
All BJP leaders are talking about Kejriwal’s ’sheesh mahal’ while Modi is on another tangent, Priyanka Gandhi said.
“Is anyone talking about inflation, about ensuring employment for you? Is it okay to loot people, building ’mahals’?” she asked.
Talking about Adani-Ambani, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Look at their weddings, they wear such huge jewellery. If you want to, live like kings but don’t loot the country. It is the country’s resources,” she said.
Earlier, at her rally in Chandni Chowk, Priyanka Gandhi slammed Modi for blaming Jawahar Lal Nehru for various ills, saying he was resorting to such an approach to shirk his responsibility towards the people.
In a swipe at the Centre for the Income Tax relief to the middle class, she said there were not many people who earned enough to pay taxes.
Only a small number of people earn enough to fall in the taxpayers’ category, she claimed.
The Wayanad MP also said Modi and Kejriwal blamed each other for constructing a ’Sheesh Mahal’ and a ’Rajmahal’, respectively.
The fact remains that both looted the people, she asserted.
Attacking the BJP and the AAP leadership, she said leaders who blamed each other were actually shirking their responsibility towards the people.
Referring to attacks by Modi on India’s first prime minister Nehru, she said the prime minister should take responsibility instead of attacking his predecessors.
“Nehru had vision … Nehru and Indira Gandhi established public sector units that generated employment,” she told the gathering.
People should be cautious of those who create differences to serve their political interests, she said.
The Congress general secretary also attacked the BJP-led Centre over GST rates, saying there was GST on virtually everything, leading to people feeling a pinch in their pockets.
GST rates are also hurting small businesses and depriving people of fulfilling their children’s aspirations, she asserted.
Attacking AAP and Kejriwal, the Wayanad MP said the city government did little for people of the national capital when compared to the progress made during Sheila Dikshit’s tenure as Delhi chief minister.
Sheila Dikshit created infrastructure for Delhi but AAP accused her of corruption.
In the 10 years of AAP rule, the party could not prove any corruption allegation against the Congress government, Priyanka Gandhi asserted.
She also took a swipe at the Centre for not mentioning inflation in the Union Budget, saying soaring prices were hurting the aspirations of people who wanted to ensure their children lived a happy life and had a secure future.
On employment, Priyanka Gandhi claimed thousands of posts were lying vacant in the central and the Delhi governments.
She said the posts were being filled through lateral entry, with people getting jobs on contract.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
